


This Spells Trouble

by Pokimoko



Category: Archie Comics & Related Fandoms, Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Alternate Reality, Angst, Angst and Humor, Angst with a Happy Ending, Archie shows up a few times, Asexual Character, Asexual Jughead Jones, Asexuality, Because the spell makes him more like his comic book iteration, Betty Cooper POV, But above all:, But oh my god he has a personality, But they want different versions of him so conflict will ensue, Character Development, Character Growth, Comic Version Jughead, Despite the plot revolving around Jughead, Deviates From Canon, Dorks in Love, Everyone is Okay in The End, False Memories, Female Friendship, Final tags:, Friendship, Gen, Heavily implied but never actually said, I have not watched 'Sabrina the Teenage Witch' in full so this will be based off the comic version, I'm not even subtle in that department, Identity Issues, Interesting Characters, It makes him act different, Jughead and Food is my OTP, Loss of Identity, Magic, Magical Accidents, Memory Loss, Mind Manipulation, Mixture of influence from comics and show, Moral Dilemmas, Moral Lessons, No Smut, Not a Crossover, Psychological, Really different, Riverdale Version Jughead, Sabrina Spellman POV, Sabrina and Betty centric, Sabrina puts a spell on Jughead, Salem is super sarcastic, Sarcasm, So he's probably OOC, Somewhat Out of Character Characters, Talking Animals, They care about Jughead, They're all probably a little OOC, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms, Unintentionally got dark in the last few chapters so I need new tags, Why you ask? Because in the grim world of Riverdale it will be hilarious, dimension hopping, ego death, no one dies, of sorts anyway, philosophical kinda?, sort of canon compliant, that's it that's the story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-21
Updated: 2017-09-23
Packaged: 2018-10-08 20:20:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 22,211
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10395297
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pokimoko/pseuds/Pokimoko
Summary: Sabrina the Teenage Witch needs to get away from everything. Like, really far way. So she decides to not only go to a dimension without magic, but also to the quaint town of Riverdale.Even in a place without magic, her own power remains. When she meets this Riverdale's Jughead Jones, she is saddened by his terrible life and decides to help. Unfortunately, with most of her spells, it doesn't exactly to plan. Jughead begins acting very different, and his friends begin to notice. Especially Betty.Sabrina has to deal with the aftermath of her spell and fix it before Jughead's new personality becomes permanent.





	1. Somewhere Over the Rainbow

**Author's Note:**

> This idea came to me one day, when I was thinking about the differences between the comic version of Jughead and the Riverdale adaption of him. And then I thought, 'what if the characters had to deal with the comic version.' I thought of how shocked they would be and that made me laugh. So, I went 'why not write about?'. I knew the only way I could have the idea work is if I have some form of magic, but I really didn't want to write an AU. Sabrina came to mind, seeing as she is a legitimate character within the Archie Comics Universe.
> 
> And thus this story was born. I'll probably get into this after I'm finished my other story 'Plan Bet Together' (subliminal messages are hidden in this note that are telling you to read it. Can you feel it influencing you? Do you feel the need, the need to read?). This is just an opening chapter so to A) Ensure no one somehow gets the same idea and does it before I can and B) See if people are interested. Actually, forget that last one. I'm going to write this either way. I think it'll be fun.
> 
> Hope you enjoy this. 
> 
> Also, sorry about mistakes. 
> 
> I don't own these characters.

Sabrina the Teenage Witch huffed into her pillow. She’d had the worst day, and she wasn’t concealing the fact to her cat, Salem, who couldn’t care less.

“There, there,” Salem murmured disinterestedly, too busy licking his paws to bother with her problems.

She pulled him into a hug, causing the feline to groan irritably as she sobbed into his fur.  
“I can’t believe Harvey broke up with me for saying I was a witch. I thought he’d at least allow me a chance to explain. Not only that, Hilda and Zelda are going to kill me for even trying to tell him. I hate magic sometimes. I need a break from it.”

Salem struggled out of the hug and leapt to the edge of the bed, his yellow eyes falling on Sabrina.  
“Next your going to say you wished you didn’t have magic.”

She sat up, her pale blonde bob swaying with the movement, her mouth open.  
“Great Marie Laveau! Salem, that gives me a great idea.”

Salem rolled his eyes.  
“Why do I even try to help?”

“No, no, you did help. I know how to get over this.”

“And that is?”

“I need to get out of this dimension, “Sabrina declared.

Salem gave her a look.  
“Uh-huh. Then what? You going to have a detox from magic or something.”

“Yes, exactly. You know what, I need a detox from my whole life for a bit. I have an even better idea.”

“Oh, goody,” Salem muttered sarcastically. “Pray tell me, what that is?”

Sabrina stood up, and began pacing, a cunning smile present on her face as she brainstormed.  
“I’m going to not only go to a dimension without magic, but I’m going to leave Greendale altogether! I’m going to go to Riverdale. It’d be great. I can see Jughead and Betty again. Oh! And Archie. Oh my gosh, why didn’t I think of this before!”

“Maybe because you were never this desperate.”

Sabrina shook her head stubbornly.  
“Nope, nothing you can say will stop me. I am doing this.”

“Let me guess. I’m coming too.”

“Yeah. Don’t you want to see all of the Riverdale gang again? It’s been forever.”

“Ah yes. I love being treated like an actual cat by them,” he said caustically.

Sabrina smirked.  
“Don’t lie. You love it. Come on. I think I know the spell.”

“You think? Wow, I feel reassured.”

“You can’t be sincere, can you?”

Salem shrugged his haunches.  
“Why start now?”

“So are you coming?”

“On your quarter-life crisis? Sure, why not. I’d like some time away from your aunties anyway.”

Sabrina smiled.  
“Thanks. I’ll pack and then let’s find a mirror.”

Sabrina didn’t pack much in her small bag, throwing in a few clothes, some toiletries and her phone. She did so quietly, wary of her aunties, who she could hear pottering around downstairs. Salem guarded the door with as much attention as a child. The cat trotted behind Sabrina when she left the room and tiptoed to the bathroom. The mirror inside was a good size, and Sabrina thanked the universe for it, happy she didn’t have to delay this expedition. Her enthusiasm to get away was insatiable, obviously a buildup of stress and annoyance towards all the magical problems she and her aunties had caused. Harvey’s disregard of her powers was the last straw. She needed something real, someplace where magic wasn’t a big deal and it didn’t control her life.

Riverdale sounded like the best place, and she knew the people. She had gone there many times, and it never failed in lifting her spirit. But her aunties would find her easily if she went there in this dimension. Sabrina needed to get away from them too. So, this idea was the best of the best, and she was beginning to quiver in excitement.

She stood in front of the mirror, staring at her own intrepid face.  
“Ready,” she said to Salem, who nodded.

She held up her hand, and they began to glow pink with energy, the misty tendrils cascading through the air is lazy loops. She began to chant, filling in the bits she couldn’t recall with her own additions.  
“ _In this mirror are reflections cast_  
_This spell I make to make it last_  
_To open up a world in which wishes_  
_Made from magic and hexing swishes_  
_Are not true, instead a bedtime tale_  
_In that little pep town of Riverdale_  
_In this mirror I open that dimension_  
_To escape my magic woes and frustration_ ”

The mirror folded in on itself, beginning to swirl like a vertical whirlpool as she chanted. The whirlpool kept wounding until a circle opening began forming, spreading outwards. Sabrina smelt the aroma of trees before she saw the world on the other side. The opening soon had replaced the entire mirror, and she could see a panorama of Riverdale. The sky was grey with heavy clouds, and rain was imminent. The opening she had created was just in front of the school, but it was empty, for even in that other dimension, it was too late for it to be open.

Sabrina looked to Salem as he stared suspiciously into it, his eyes narrowed.  
“A dark shadow is over this place,” he murmured cryptically.

Sabrina ignored his dramatics, to preoccupied by the opening, it’s edges beginning to waver.  
“Quickly, before the portal closes, Salem.”

He nodded, and leaped into the other world. It appeared as if he had just jumped out a window and not into another dimension. Sabrina took a steadying breath before she too entered the magic-less world of Riverdale.


	2. The Other Girl

“This is all very _Enchanted_ , don’t you think?” Sabrina commented when she’d had a moment to look around. Riverdale looked just as it had done in her dimension, though there seemed to be a lingering fog in this version. No one seemed to be in the area, and so a quiet accompanied the fog.

“If anything, it’s _Coraline_ ,” Salem murmured as he observed the empty surroundings.

Sabrina scoffed quietly.  
“I think you may be a little biased seeing as you’re a talking black cat. Movies aside, I need to test something.”

Sabrina held out her hands, summoning her powers forth, feeling the energy tickled her fingers. Wafts of pink smoke floated forth from her hands, and she clenched her fists quickly, suffocating the power. She never knew if someone was watching. Salem watched lazily.

“You’re not going to use magic whilst we’re here are you. Because that ruins the point.”

“Only for the necessary things. Come on. Let’s go to the hotel. Tomorrow we’re going to school.”

“Yay,” he said petulantly.

The two outcasts of this universe wandered to the hotel. Sabrina paid with the money she had brought, and she and her pet companion went to sleep in this new world. The night passed, and the horrors of the landscape remained hidden to them

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Betty rushed down the stairs, her bag swinging to and fro upon her shoulder, her books audibly toppling inside. The thudding tempo softened when she reached the bottom of the stairs, though the beat didn’t slow as she rushed to the door. She swung the door open, and was greeted by Jughead, who had his arms crossed, a smile crinkling his eyes.

“You’re late.”

She smiled at his faux annoyance,  
“‘A wizard is never late. Nor is she early. She arrives precisely when she means to’. Don’t worry, Frodo, we’ll make it so school on time.”

Jughead chuckled.  
“Alright, Betty the Blue. Let’s go. And FYI, Betts, if I have to be any Hobbit, I would be Pippin. He knows the beauty of second breakfast. Speaking of….”

“Oh my gosh! How are you my boyfriend? Clearly Samwise is the best. He was the main reason Frodo succeeded.”

They began trotting down the path, arguing over who was the best hobbit. This lasted until they reached the school, where the finally agreed to disagree. They parted ways to go to each class, sharing a chaste kiss.

Betty had World History. She got out her books, adjusting her pencil case to be parallel to the edge of the desk. She sat up, awaiting the teacher. When he did arrive, Betty noticed a girl with platinum blonde hair styled in a bob follow behind. She gave a curt wave to Betty, before shaking her head as if berating herself. Betty watched the whole scene in confusion.

“This is Sabrina Spellman. She’s a transfer student. Please make her as comfortable as possible.” He turned to Sabrina, “Please find a seat Miss Spellman.”

The girl nodded, and wandered between the tables, eyes darting between the students. Her eyes landed on the empty desk beside Betty and she increased her pace. Betty saw the new girl smile at her before sitting down. Betty felt like this girl knew her somehow. A few minutes passed before they conversed.

“Hey. I’m Sabrina,” she said, leaning towards Betty so her whispered words could be heard.

Betty smiled.  
“I know. The teacher introduced you.”

“Oh! Right. I’m an idiot.”

“No harm done. I’m Betty. Betty Cooper.”

“Oh, I know.”

Betty frowned.  
“You do?”

Sabrina froze, her eyes wide.  
“Umm, yeah. The….principal...told me if I needed someone to show me around I should look for you.”

Betty smiled sheepishly.  
“That’s nice of Mr. Weatherbee to say.”

Sabrina nodded, but she was hushed by the teacher before she could talk. Moments later, she passed a note to Betty, who read it subtly so not to garner the teacher’s attention.

Can I hang out with you and your friends at lunch?

Betty hummed softly in amusement. This girl seemed nice. She turned to her, but remained silent when she watched Sabrina have what seemed to be a hushed argument with her bag. Betty watched for a while, before tapping Sabrina’s shoulder. The girl jumped in her chair, her head snapping towards Betty. Sabrina produced a nervous smile. Betty huffed quietly in amusement before pointing to the note and nodding. The other girl smiled brightly.

The bell rang, and Betty cleared up her belongings. Sabrina waited for her, awkward as she did so. Betty didn’t mind the girls presence, and was happy to converse with her whilst they headed to their next classes. Betty couldn’t concentrate, her thoughts preoccupied with the strange new girl who smiled at her like they were already friends.

English was just before Lunch, and it was one of the only classes that Jughead shared with Betty. He gave her a hug before they sat. They had a class project for creative writing, and naturally the two had paired up, both due to their skill and the project allowing for them to talk. And so they did. For a while, it was merely of ideas on what to write about, but soon it turned to the new girl.  
“Have you met Sabrina Spellman yet?” Betty queried.

Jughead shook his head.  
“No. Why? Who’s that?”

“She’s the new girl. She had, ah, blond hair, really short.”

Jughead shrugged.  
“No idea. You know how I am with physical features. You should feel honoured I remember your face. Wait, who are you again?”

Betty laughed.  
“I can’t believe you sometimes. But seriously, you haven’t seen her?”

“Nope. But I suspect I will soon enough.”


	3. Dark Matter

Sabrina wandered to the table that Betty had told her to go to. She could see Jughead and his everlasting beanie from afar, the others sitting beside and across from him, save for Betty, who seemed not to be present. Sabrina frowned at that, but continued towards the table anyway. She would just have to introduce herself as a friend of Betty. Hopefully not in a awkward way. Sabrina pondered some examples. Hello, ‘tis I, Sabrina, friend of Betty Cooper? No, definitely not. I’m Betty Cooper’s friend Sabrina? Better. Nice to meet you. I’m Sabrina. I’m friends with Betty Cooper. Yes, that would work. Sabrina smiled, rolling her shoulders back and striding confidently.

She arrived at the table. The first to notice her was Jughead, who raised an eyebrow.  
“Sabrina Spellman, I presume.”

Sabrina shoulders sagged as the groups eyes fell on her. Oh, damn it, she wasn’t prepared for this line of dialogue. Jughead patted the spot next to him, saving her from whatever terrible attempt she was about to muster. She scuttled over to the spot, and sat down. Jughead seemed to study her. Sabrina’s smile faltered. Up close, she could see the bruised purple tint under his eyes, which themselves weren’t lively. His eyes were old, like he’d seen too much, and now wore their weariness. Sabrina felt his dark, intense energy as they watched her for a short moment, until they flickered away, and the heaviness faded. Sabrina remained watching him, still feeling the weight of the eyes, before a voice interrupted her thoughts.

“Hey. Sabrina, right? I’m Veronica. Nice to meet you.”

Sabrina shook out of her stupor and turned her head to Veronica, who was presenting her hand to shake across the table, a smile on her face. Sabrina shook the hand, returning a smile of her own. Veronica began introducing the others, not once saying something negative about them. Sabrina was astounded. Veronica seemed nicer than what she was used to, her energy more comforting and soft. But even that could not outweigh the strange energy she had felt from Jughead. It was so unlike the energy of her universe’s Jughead, which was boundless and vibrant. This energy felt trapped, desperate to escape. It was overwhelming, even when his eyes were not letting her see it. She could just feel it, itching at her skin. 

“I bet you’re wondering where Betty is.”

It was Archie, whose gentle grin transcended dimensions. Sabrina managed a smile.  
“Yeah. I was.”

“Blame Archie. He reminded her there was Vixen practice,” Jughead muttered, as if he was also annoyed by the fact. “It’s a mystery you even knew that Archie. Are you a secret cheerleader or just a stalker?”

Archie smiled sheepishly, whilst Veronica looked at Archie horrified.  
“Wait, there was Vixen practice?!”

“Yeah. Hey, why aren’t you there?”

“Because I forgot. Why didn’t you mention it earlier? You know I’m a cheerleader, idiot. Well, it’s too late now,” she said dramatically, her head falling into her hands, an unhappy pout on her face. Sabrina felt reassured; this was definitely still Veronica.

“Be glad, Veronica. You get to enjoy one less practice of a sport based around the objectification of women to entertain people,” Jughead commented.

“....You know there are male cheerleaders too, Jughead.”

“Archie, don’t ruin my point. Besides, male cheerleaders don’t wear skirts when they get thrown in the air.”

“True, true,” Archie murmured, nodding his head.

Kevin at this point joined the conversation.  
“I can vouch that I once saw Reggie wear a cheerleader outfit. Pretty sure it was a dare, but hey, he wore it well.”

Jughead smirked.  
“I’m am definitely using that next time he says something demeaning about me in my presence.”

“Aren’t you and Reggie friends?” Sabrina interjected awkwardly, not wanting to be that weird person who sits quietly during a conversation.

Jughead and the others scoffed, as if that was the most unbelievable thing ever.  
“Definitely not. I don’t think in any universe we would be friends. That’s like putting tomatoes in chocolate milk.” He turned to the others. “Trust me, it’s disgusting.”

Sabrina rubbed her neck awkwardly as the others made noises of distaste.  
“Yeah, definitely.”

This universe was strange, no doubt. She was still not sure if it was in good way. When lunch ended, Sabrina could still feel the lingering energy of Jughead as she went to her next class. And when she returned to the hotel, it remained like a memory, pricking at her skin. She sank down onto the bed, putting her bag beside her. The bag shook like an egg, and Salem popped out, an extreme look of irritation on his face.

“If you told me I was going to be a handbag cat, I would have rejected this inter-dimensional getaway idea. I am not made for bag travel, Sabrina.”

“I’ll give you some yarn for tomorrow,” she replied irritably.

Salem nudged her arm, pushing himself onto her lap and looking at her with his amber eyes.  
“I’m supposed to be the sarcastic one. What’s got your wand in a twist?”

“It’s Jughead,” she muttered simply.

Salem hummed in amusement.  
“Did he reject you again or something?”

“Oh, hush. I’m over that....No,” she frowned, unsure of how to phrase this, “he just seemed….different.”

“We are in a alternate universe, Sabrina. It was bound to happen.”

“Oh, I don’t know, Salem! He acted kind of the same, but his energy was just so….lonely.”

Salem remained silent, before murmuring.  
“Yes, I felt that too.”

Sabrina hugged Salem close, petting him whilst she was deep in thought, thinking of how she could possibly help. She really wanted to. Jughead was her friend, and she wished for him to be happy, because from what she had felt, he wasn’t. Salem’s purr was a soundtrack to the formation of her new idea, one that could benefit Jughead’s well being. She cradled Salem close, to whisper in his ear.  
“I have an idea.”

Salem’s sighed.  
“Not again.”


	4. Dandelion Wishes

The doorbell sang it’s short tune, alerting Betty that someone was at the door. Her mum looked to it, but didn’t move, so Betty pushed herself off the couch and shuffled towards the door. Betty wondered if it could somehow be Sabrina, then realised the new girl didn't know her address. The sun was just about to set, painting the tinted glass in an amber hue. A shadow was cast, a distinctive crown upon its head. Betty smiled, and opened the door.

“Hello, Juggie.”

Jughead returned a smile of his own, and presented a canvas bag in his outstretched hand. Betty gave him a perplexed look.  
“Thanks….uh, what’s in it?”

“Within this bag is what I like to call my portable Twilight Drive-In kit. Want to be my plus one to it's opening night?”

Betty let out a quiet laugh.  
“Of course. It would be a pleasure.”

“Come on then,” Jughead said as he walked away from the door, into the fading light.

Betty hesitated, unsure as she tapped her fingers on the wood of the doorway.  
“We’re not going to stay inside?” 

Jughead looked over his shoulder., a raised eyebrow answering her question before he even spoke.  
“It’s not called ‘portable Twilight Drive-In kit’ for nothing, Betts. The setting is half the experience.”

Betty bit her lip, thinking, looking back to the interior of her house, and then to Jughead, who was giving her that sweet smile she couldn’t refuse. She nodded, giving him her ‘you are so evil’ eyes, and trotted down the steps, yelling back to her mum that she would return later.

Jughead waited until she had reached him, and linked his hands with hers, the two following the concrete path like it were the yellow brick road. The air was crisp with the winter chill, and Betty snuggled closer to Jughead, thankful that she had changed earlier that afternoon out of her cheerleader outfit into warm clothes.

After a while, Jughead slowed his pace, nudging against her, and Betty looked up to him, confused. He raised his hand, pointing towards a trodden track that lead away from the path and into the woods. Betty narrowed her eyes.  
“Juggie, not to spoil the night, but you do remember that there is a murderer on the loose, right?”

“No, it definitely hasn’t been a major impact on my life for the last few weeks, “ Jughead deadpanned, before chuckling. “I think we’ll be okay. You’re here to protect us. And by us I mean me.”

“Oh, Jughead, that is so manly of you,” Betty said with a sarcasm to rival his.

He laughed, before leading her down the track. The orange sunlight filtered through the trees, providing the simple trail with a natural radiance. The track was not overly long, and the two teenagers soon reached the end, the trail fading into field, small and quaint. It was filled with dandelions swaying in the gentle breeze, their seeds threatening the fly away on their own accord. Betty gasped as she surveyed it, astounded by this small piece of heaven.

Jughead smiled down at her, before returning his wistful gaze to the dancing dandelions.  
“My mum used to bring me here. She loved it. I thought you would as well.”

“Jughead, it’s wonderful. Thank you so much for showing me this.”

She gave him a peck of the cheek. He beamed, before raising the canvas bag.  
“Movie time, milady.”

He took her hand and lead her into the sea of flowers. He searched around like a film noir detective for a spot in which they wouldn’t sit on any dandelions. Jughead found a grassy area devoid of the delicate flowers, pulling out a flannel picnic rug from his bag. He waved it out like it was a flag, before gently placing it down onto the grass. He plunked himself down, shifting around on it so he was comfortable, before lightly tapping the spot beside him. Betty descended onto the rug, watching as Jughead pulled out an assortment of items out of his canvas bag. It must of run on TARDIS science because it contained more than what she expected. Soon, upon the picnic rug, there was his prized laptop, a portable DVD player drive, two sets of headphones, a comforter and pillows, several movie cases and a family pack of popcorn.

“Impressive,” Betty commented.

“I never do things half-assed, Betts,” he remarked. He lifted up the DVDs he had brought. “It’s your choice tonight. Which one would you like to watch?”

Betty dramatically drummed her finger on her lips, making herself look deep in thought. She truly was deep in thought, though, because typical Jughead, had brought movies that were either made before computers were invented, or made by indie companies, with the movies all being ones she’d never seen, except one of them, which did sound familiar. She tapped it’s case.

Jughead nodded proudly as he turned it around to look at it.  
“Ah, Spirited Away. Good choice.”

He placed the other DVDs back into his bag, then pulled open the chosen movie's case with expert care, like it were a clam and the DVD a pearl. Betty felt a warmth in her heart as she observed him. She loved how much he cared for his movies, like they were all precious heirlooms to be cherished. He placed Spirited Away in the DVD player, and as it loaded onto his laptop, he propped up the pillows behind them, and plugged in the headphones. He placed the second pair on Betty like a crown, kissing her forehead softly as he did. The sounds of the DVD began playing in her ears, accompanied by the crinkles and tears of the popcorn bag being opened and it’s buttery fragrance.

Finally, Jughead threw the comforter over the two of them, and they snuggled together to watch the movie, barely moving between the beginning and the end. Two hours passed since they had arrived when the credits rolled. The moon by then was high in the sky, and the two teenager’s breaths were foggy in the cold air. Betty nudged against Jughead to get his attention after he had closed the laptop’s lid and put it and the other items back in the bag. 

“That was pretty good, I must say.”

“I’m surprised you’ve never watched it. It’s basically a classic,” Jughead said as if it were a sin to have not watched it. Betty smiled at his antics.

Betty shifted closer to him. Jughead looked slightly confused, but didn’t object. Betty smiled as she leaned in, bringing their lips together. He accepted them, allowing her to play with his lips softly, the movie forgotten. She deepened the kiss, her fingers tugging at his shirt, rubbing the woollen fabric between her hungry fingers. She heard a small noise of surprise from Jughead. She ignored it as she continued, pushing herself closer to him, pulling the shirt up. It was only when Jughead retreated that she stopped, a expression of hurt confusion explicitly set upon her face. Jughead looked shameful, his eyes cast away from her. Something was the matter. Betty leaned back, away from him, so to provide him space.  
“What happened? What’s wrong?”

“Sorry,” was all he said, simple, quiet and unsure. 

Betty canted her head.  
“About what, Juggie? Please tell me.” 

His blues of his eyes were painted sadly when he returned his gaze to her. Betty placed her hand on his shoulder, a gesture merely for comfort. He placed his own hand on it, rubbing it absentmindedly as he sighed. He shifted on the rug, so that his legs were underneath him, and he leaned forward to place his lips on Betty’s forehead. His face descended to be level with hers, his eyes staring deep into her, in which she could see sincere apology.  
“I don't want that. This is all I want. All I’ll ever want...”

His lips return to hers, providing her with a chaste kiss, like a paint brush across her skin. When he whispered, she felt the warmth of his breath on her mouth.  
“Nothing more.” 

Betty nodded.  
“I understand.”

She felt his cheeks mould around a subtle smile, his words almost as quiet as the wind.  
“Thank you.”

They remained like this for a while, their foreheads pressed together, but eventually he leaned back, the intimacy of his breath and his confession lost to the cold breeze.  
“It's getting late. You want to go?”

Betty shook her head.  
“Just a while longer. Maybe we can look at the stars.”

She fell onto her back, cushioning her head with her hands as she looked to the sky. She felt Jughead do the same beside her. It wasn’t what she expected of this evening. Then again, she’d known Jughead long enough to not be surprised by his confession, and therefore wasn’t overly hurt by it. Besides, the stars were beautiful, and she was happy they could enjoy them together.

“Know any constellations?” Jughead asked.

“I wish. What about you?”

“Same as you. I keep telling myself I’ll learn them, but I never find the time….I doubt I will anytime soon.”

“Because of Jason’s murder?” Betty queried.

“Death keeps the living busy," he said solemnly. "The stars will have to wait for some other day. For now, it's just a dying wish.”

Betty paused at his words, feeling an idea spark in her brain, and she pushed herself up. She stood up, leaving Jughead to watch her with a confused expression as she wandered away from the safety of the rug.

“Hey! What are you doing?!” he called as quietly as he could as she disappeared into the field of dandelions. 

She didn’t answer, crouching down to pluck two dandelions from their beds. She held her other hand out to shelter the breeze as she returned to Jughead, who noticed the flowers straight away. Betty kneeled down, holding one out to him.

“Make a wish. Maybe wish to someday learn the names of the stars.”

Jughead accepted it, observing it with a smile.  
“The magic of childhood remedies all.”

“And so do the magic of wishes,” Betty concluded, before she blew gently onto the dandelion. It's seeds, like loose sails, flew away into the night, leaving the stem bare in the cold. 

“I wish for more nights like this,” she murmured as she watched the seeds disappear, her wish along with it.

Jughead smiled brightly at her. He held his own dandelion to his lips, blowing it out like a candle, whispering softly to the green skeleton once the seeds had left.  
“I wish that we’ll get through the bad nights together, and that we’ll never lose each other, or the nameless stars.”

Jughead’s eyes met with Betty’s, and they shared a smile that rivalled the lights far above in the night sky, their wishes another secret to share. Neither was aware that not too far away, a girl with dandelion hair was about to ruin any chance of those wishes coming true.


	5. Magic Tricks and Treats

Sabrina strode down the halls, her steps light. She was spilling with joy, a radiant smile gracing her lips. To this, her peers returned looks of confusion, unused to her boundless happiness in the grim school halls. She didn’t care. She’d figured out the spell she needed for Jughead last night, and she couldn’t wait to use it. She felt Salem jab her back lightly from within the confines of her bag.  
“Are you sure about this?”

“Yes, I am. Now, be quiet,” she whispered curtly to the bag, again receiving looks of confusion from people surrounding her, to whom she gave awkward waves.

She turned into the student lounge, finding Jughead and Betty alone on the couches. They were seated quite close to each other, Betty smiling at whatever story Jughead was telling her. As she approached, his eyes flickered to her, and the power of his energy flooded over Sabrina. His energy today seemed less defined, more blurred and warm. But under that thin layer, Sabrina still felt the darkness squirm relentlessly. She had to remedy this. For his sake.

“Hey Sabrina,” Betty greeted enthusiastically, “Sorry I didn’t get round to hanging out with you at lunch yesterday; Vixen practice and all.”

“Hi,” Sabrina replied simply.

Silence followed, heavy and thick. She stood there, twiddling her thumbs, seeing Jughead and Betty share a look after a few long moments had passed. Jughead was the first to speak.  
“Not to sound rude, but do you want something?”

Sabrina nodded her head, flustered.  
“Right, yes, yes, of course. I just want you.”

Jughead gave her his amused look, raised eyebrow and everything, and Sabrina recoiled in realisation of how that must of sounded, stuttering out her attempt to fix her mistake.  
“I-I mean, I want to talk to you. That’s all. I swear.”

Jughead chuckled softly, nodding as he did.  
“I believe you. What is it you want to talk about?”

Sabrina glanced at Betty, who was watching the interaction avidly. Obviously it would be highly suspicious of Sabrina to recite the spell and do the magical hand waving around Betty. Sabrina needed a secluded place.  
“Ah, I was actually thinking we could talk, ah, alone, if that’s okay.”

Jughead frowned, and looked to Betty, conveying a silent question in his eyes. Betty nodded, and Jughead promptly rose off the couch, wandering over to Sabrina.  
“Where to?”

Sabrina lead him out of the room. They travelled down the hall until she found an empty classroom, and she pushed him inside. She surveyed it quickly, making sure there was no ninja teachers hiding to attack students with math or something. Thankfully, she didn’t find any, and she closed the door of the classroom, the lock clicking as she turned it, and turned to face Jughead. His eyes were narrowed.  
“What are we doing in here?”

Sabrina approached him, her eyes focused. He retreated a step, the tap of the shoe on the floor loud in the quiet room, a flicker of distrust on his face. She held her hands up in reassurance.  
“Don’t worry. I just want to talk.”

Jughead frowned.  
“Then why did you check no one was in here? Unless it’s has to remain confidential, we don’t have to absolutely alone to talk. Why don’t we do this somewhere else?”

By now, Jughead was looking to the door. Sabrina placed herself between him and the door. Jughead noticed the movement, and frowned further. She had to make sure no one saw this. Best to do it quickly too, before the bell could ring and bring witnesses. Even if her aunties weren’t here, there would still be consequences if magic was discovered. Like, big universal consequences. She began to weave her hands threw the air. Jughead retreated further, unsure and confused. When pink tendrils formed on her fingertips, his eyes widened in disbelief.

“What’s going on?” he said with a fear she had never heard from him.

“You’ll thank me later, I swear,” Sabrina comforted hastily.

Jughead fidgeted where he stood, his eyes once again flickering to the door. Suddenly, he broke into a run towards a door. Sabrina reacted quickly, and his flight was stopped by small tendrils of pink that wrapped around his arms and stopped him from moving. He let out a noise of surprise, and began to struggle against them frantically. Sabrina frowned, upset that she had to do it this way. She didn’t expect this reaction from him.  
“Please Jughead. Let me help you.”

He ignored her words, pulling against the magic, yelling out loudly.  
“Betty! Betty! Help!”

Sabrina gritted her teeth when she muffled his words under a cloud of pink magic, which made him struggle even harder. Okay, she needed to do this quick. She hated to see him suffer in any way, and watching this was getting too much for her. His happiness would be worth it in the end. And so, she began to chant:

_“Heart of darkness, smudged by coal,_  
_Sadness and loneliness of the soul,_  
_With these words, I do erase,_  
_And for joy and warmth to replace._  
_Boy of shadow and of crown,_  
_Be with joy, without a frown._  
_Darkness banished, light instead,_  
_Be there happiness for Jughead.”_

His eyes glowed pink as she chanted, streams of the colour tinting the skin of his face, which was slack and expressionless. When she finished the spell, the pink faded away gently, and his eyelids fell like anchors, his body falling limp into her magic. The pink tendrils stuttered under his dead weight, and Sabrina couldn’t keep them firm. He fell to the ground, his limbs splaying out awkwardly, making him look like a starfish. Sabrina gasped and rushed towards him, crouching beside her unconscious friend. She shook him, but he remained unresponsive. Now you’ve done it, Sabrina thought sombrely, you’ve killed Jughead Jones. Wow, how did you manage that, you loser witch.

She continued to shake him, now more desperately. She was beginning to regret this already. What an idiotic plan. Jughead would probably hate her when he woke up. She had been pretty forceful. Oh, how stupid of her! Why hadn't she'd been patient. Sabrina felt herself start to sweat nervously as the negative thoughts played Pong in her brain.  
“Please wake up, Jughead.”

He didn’t even stir. She felt tears prick at her eyes, and she sagged towards the ground, her head falling onto his back. She gripped the fabric of his sweater in her hands tightly, her words thick with emotion when she whispered into his back.  
“Please, Jughead, wake up. Please, get up.”

“I would, but your head is on my back.”

Sabrina started, a little yelp escaping her lips, and she leaned back hastily. She looked to Jughead face to double check it was him that had spoken. His eyes were open, an amused yet irritated expression glinting in them. He raised himself off the ground, and shifted into a cross legged position, facing towards Sabrina. He quirked his head.  
“Why are we on the floor? In an empty classroom...,” he asked after he had taken in his surroundings.

Sabrina felt her heartbeat fall back into a normal rate, relief flooding over her. He didn’t remember what had happened before he had been unconscious, and wasn’t that just grand. That was something she wish she could forget, but at least he had. Sabrina smiled at her companion.  
“You fainted.”

Jughead scoffed.  
“I’ve only faint when I’m food starved. And I can smell food in your bag. The smell of it would have saved me from unconsciousness.”

“Ah, you fainted...before I got here,” Sabrina made up quickly.

Jughead nodded, adopting a thoughtful look.  
“Y’know, I must've been really hungry to faint. Help a guy out, maybe?”

He pouted exaggeratedly. Sabrina sighed.  
“You want my sandwich, don’t you?”

He deadpanned as he shook his head in affirmative.  
“Yes.”

“But it’s got Nutella on it,” she moaned.

“Exactly.”

She huffed, before surrendering her bag to Jughead. She watched as he opened the bag enthusiastically, noting how his energy was now all fluffy and cloud-like. Perfect. All the darkness was gone. This was the happiness she had intended for him. She beamed, though it fell quite quickly when Salem pounced out of the bag, scaring the two teenagers.

Salem smirked at Sabrina, who returned a scowl. Jughead recovered, looking to Salem with avid curiosity.  
“I didn’t know you had a cat. Can I pet it?”

“Oh, yeah, sure. Salem loves hugs,” she said smugly, glancing to the now very peeved cat.

She reached towards the cat, lifting him up. She heard him mutter quietly a ‘I hate you’ before she gave him to Jughead. The boy cradled Salem in his arms, scratched him under the chin, and the cat soon was purring. Jughead returned his eyes to Sabrina.  
“I don’t know ‘bout you, but this empty classroom setting is quite dull. And also it's making me think of school work. Trust me, I try not to do that. Even whilst school is on. So, you want to head to the student lounge?”

“Right, yeah. Betty was probably getting worried anyway.”

“Alrighty then,” Jughead said as he pushed himself off the floor. He presented Salem to Sabrina. “Here is your cat.”

Sabrina stood up and accepted the morose figure of Salem, putting him back in her bag. Salem didn’t argue, though probably because someone else was there. Jughead frowned as he watched, but made no comment. He wandered to the door, and pulled at the handle, tripping back when it didn’t open as he had expected. He recovered, and cast his gaze back to Sabrina.  
“Why’s the door locked?”

Sabrina rubbed her arm awkwardly.  
“No idea.”

“Okay then,” Jughead muttered, unlocking the door and stepping through, holding it open for Sabrina to pass. The two teenagers wandered through the crowded hallways. They didn’t make it all the way back to the lounge, because Betty met them on the way, an annoyed look on her face.  
“Sabrina, you didn’t say the ‘talk’ would take twenty minutes. I was worried.”

“Sorry,” Sabrina apologised. “But you didn’t need to worry. We’re okay.”

“Well, I fainted, but apart from that, yeah,” Jughead added.

Betty gasped.  
“Oh my gosh, are you alright, Juggie?”

She put her hand on his shoulder, a distressed look covering her face. Jughead tensed at the touch, looking at it suspiciously. He shrugged his shoulder away from her hand. Betty watched the reaction with a strange expression. Jughead didn't seem to notice, planting a small smile on his face.  
“It wasn’t a big deal. Just like falling asleep, really.”

Betty frowned, her hand falling awkwardly to her side.  
“Fainting is quite different to falling asleep, Jughead. You shouldn’t downplay it. It could have been serious.”

Jughead shrugged.  
“Sabrina said I fainted from hunger.”

That didn’t help one bit, because Betty looked even more worried.  
“Then you need to eat something!”

Jughead visibly perked up at the mention of eating, looking to Sabrina, a smirk playing on his lips.  
“And that I shall. You have to give me that Nutella sandwich now, Sabrina. Doctor Betty’s orders. And don’t use your pet as a distraction this time.”

Sabrina rolled her eyes, grabbing the sandwich from her bag, avoiding the now slumbering Salem as she did so. She held it out to Jughead, who snatched it up gleefully, pressing it to his mouth to kiss the plastic wrap audibly, humming pleasantly.  
“Chocolate flavoured spread is the best thing ever to be invented.”

Betty watched the whole thing with an intense frown, half confused, half annoyed.  
“It’s actually hazelnut spread…”

Jughead shrugged exaggeratedly, raised his hands to make a ‘w’ shape with his arms.  
“Details, details. Nutella in general is beautiful, Betty. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a date with destiny….To clarify, my destiny is this sandwich.”

He departed, away to the cafeteria, leaving Sabrina and Betty behind, the latter gawking in utter and total confusion, her words faint due to the emotion.  
“What just happened? And what the heck happened to Jughead?”

Sabrina managed to smile at the stern yet perplexed looking teenager.  
“He must be having a good morning.”

She escaped before the wrath of Betty Cooper befell her, leaving said girl alone in the middle of the hallway, looking completely lost.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that was dickish of Sabrina. But hey, it was for a good reason. Then again, the road to hell is pathed with good intentions. And hell is Betty in this case. Oh, Sabrina, you silly fool, what have you got yourself into.
> 
> Also, Comic! Jughead I hope is mostly different to my Riverdale! Jughead. They latter tends to be influenced by the former. Hope it's distinguishable. and that you'll enjoy the chaos that will ensue.


	6. The Jughead Trap

Betty’s palms had little red crescent marks adorning them by the time lunch came around. She couldn’t help the nervous tick. It was born from worry about Jughead, and she couldn’t stop her thoughts from returning to him. 

He had seemed different after he had spoken with Sabrina, and Betty couldn’t help but think of the worst possibilities for why that was. Did he and Sabrina do drugs? Or maybe she had hit him really hard and he got post traumatic amnesia? Or maybe Jughead had a secret twin and they'd swapped places?!

Betty sighed. She was being absolutely ridiculous and she knew it. He probably was just having a good morning, as Sabrina had said. Still, the worry kept nagging at her, and so when the bell for lunch rang, she rushed to the group table, getting there first, and waited fervently for Jughead to arrive. Betty loved when he arrived first, because it meant they could spend some time alone. Today though, she just wanted to ask if he was okay, without the prying eyes of the others.

Archie turned up first, however. He plonked in the chair opposite to her, propping his guitar case against the leg of the table.  
“Hey, Betty,” he smiled. When she didn’t reply, his smile fell. “What’s wrong?”

Betty sighed, reluctant to talk about it, but really wanting to. She decided she would. Archie was Jughead's best friend. If anyone would agree with her, it would be him.  
“I’m worried about Jughead.”

“How so?”

Before Betty could explain, the subject of their conversation arrived, smiling brightly.  
“Hello friends. How goes it?”

“Hey, Jughead, “ Archie greeted.

Jughead planted himself beside Archie, placing his bag on the table and pulling out a lunch bag, on which his name was scrawled in Fred Andrew’s handwriting. The paper crinkled as he opened it and as he dug his hand inside it. When it returned from the confines of the bag, a slice of pizza was gripped within it, obviously leftovers from a prior dinner. Jughead took it out of it’s sandwich bag and began munching on it happily. After a few moments, he seemed to realise Betty and Archie’s eyes on him, and he lowered the pizza, narrowing his eyes at them.  
“Did something happen? ‘Cause whatever it is, I swear, it wasn’t me. Unless it was food-related. Then, yeah, maybe I had some part in it. Or a whole part. Sue me, food’s good.”

Archie shared a bemused look with Betty, before returning his eyes to Jughead.  
“You feeling okay, buddy?” he asked politely.

Jughead quirked his head, confused.  
“As okay as I normally am. Why?”

“It’s, uh, it’s nothing. Enjoy your pizza.”

“Oh, I will,” Jughead drawled, eyeing the pizza like it was the most beautiful thing to ever exist.

As Jughead ate his pizza extravagantly, Archie leaned in towards Betty, who did the same, the two looking highly conspicuous as they tried to talk secretly. 

“He does seem different,” Archie murmured. “I don’t see why you’re worrying, though. He seems happy. It’s not a sin for him to be in a good mood.”

Betty huffed quietly.  
“I know that. But-”

“Betty,” he interrupted, “let him be. You shouldn’t be worried if he’s happy. Besides, how things are going lately, we all need a little light in our lives…..even if it is, surprisingly, and shockingly, Jughead.”

“...Fine,” Betty muttered resignedly.

“Y’know, I can hear you talking about me. My hearing is impeccable, guys. Unless you said ‘bug bed’. Which I doubt, but, I guess is possible, “ Jughead interjected.

Betty and Archie chuckled nervously, and Jughead scowled.  
“Your anxious laughter is so comforting.”

“It was nothing bad, I swear. Only good things, Jug, only good things,” Archie grinned.

“Alright, pal. I’ll take your word for it,” Jughead shrugged.

“Hey everyone!”

Betty turned around, seeing Sabrina running towards them. Betty subtly glared at the girl. She liked her, but she still wasn’t overly sure of the girl. Not anymore. Sabrina seemed like she was hiding something, but Betty couldn’t place what exactly. Sabrina stopped at the edge of table, folding over slightly, panting.

“What’s the rush, Candy Crush?” Jughead asked.

When Sabrina got her breath back, she replied casually.  
“Oh, nothing. Just wanted to get here quickly.”

She sat down, setting her bag on the table. It squirmed, causing Betty and Archie to start, and the zipper seemed to open by itself, as if by magic. Only when a cat appeared was it explained. Archie and Jughead both reacted like children at the sight of it, fighting over who could pet it first, much to the visible displeasure of the cat itself. Betty watched with her arms crossed, trying to hide the compulsion to pet the cat as well. When Veronica and Kevin arrived, they too became invested in petting the cat. Betty took this as her chance to talk to Sabrina, leaning to whisper in her ear.

“Did something happen this morning between you and Jughead? He’s been acting differently.”

“In a good way, right?” Sabrina asked in a hushed voice, though Betty could hear some excitement within her voice. Again, Betty couldn’t shake a feeling of suspicion. She sighed.

“I’m....I’m not sure. But did something happen? At all?” 

Betty looked pleadingly to the other girl. Sabrina’s eyes flickered away to Jughead, an unreadable expression of her face.  
“.....No. Nothing happened.”


	7. A Glimmer of Pink

Betty rushed to the school gate, seeing Jughead’s distinctive crown beanie and Archie’s mussed up red hair from afar. The two were chatting casually within the flood of students escaping school to return to their homes for the weekend. Betty almost tripped several times before she reached them, her breath quick from mild exhaustion, managing a breathy ‘hey’ to greet the two.

Jughead raised his hand into a static wave.

“Hey Betty. Got any plans for the weekend?” he asked conversationally.

She shrugged.

“None in particular. Are you busy? Maybe you and I could do something?”

Jughead smiled. He was doing that a lot today, and Betty couldn’t deny it was quite nice to see, however weird.

“No. I am planless. What’chu got in mind?”

“I was thinking maybe another movie night?” Betty suggested.

“Sounds fun. Hey, Archie, maybe you can join us,” Jughead said, turning to his friend.

Archie smiled sheepishly.

“I don’t want to intrude. And I really don’t want to be the awkward third wheel who ruins it. Besides, me and dad have got plans. But, have fun.”

“Okay, pal. But, just saying, if anyone would be the third wheel it’d be me. It’s practically my job….that I don’t get paid for. I should totally get paid for that.”

“You’re not the third wheel, Juggie,” Betty comforted, putting her hand on his shoulder.

Jughead seemed to tense at the touch, looking highly uncomfortable despite the small smile on his face.

“I’m fine about it, really. Uh, no need for pity pats, I assure you,” he argued, pushing her hand off his shoulder gently.

Jughead continued talking like what he just did was nothing, but Archie and Betty both were watching him with subtle expressions of shock, and for the latter, a hint of hurt. Jughead had never been overly affectionate, but he wasn’t one to reject gestures born from comfort and affection. Betty withdrew into herself, remaining quiet for the rest of the walk. When they reached the two households, Jughead said a polite goodbye before he wandered up to Archie’s house, entered and then disappeared, leaving Archie and Betty alone on the empty street.

“Okay, I totally understand why you’re worried now,” Archie expressed. “Something is definitely up with him.”

Betty remained silent, letting out a heavy breath. Her fingernail dug deeply into her palms. Was Jughead angry at her and being really passive aggressive about it? Did his dad or someone else hurt him? Betty felt toxic emotions bubble under her skin when the worst thought flickered in her mind: Did she hurt him somehow? Betty felt tears bloom in her eyes, but she didn’t rub them away. She didn’t know how she should feel right now. Angry? Sad? Frustrated? She was at a loss for what she should do.

She flinched when she felt Archie’s hands grip hers, and unwrap her clenched fists. He gave her a sympathetic smile.

“Don’t worry. I’ll talk to him. But, whatever it is, I’m pretty sure it’s got nothing to do with you.”

“You think so?” Betty mumbled quietly, scared to talk to loud because she knew it was snag on the lump in her throat.

Archie hummed a small laugh.

“Yeah, I do. I know Jughead. He can’t uphold his grudges for very long, and he only gets them if it’s for a serious reason. I should know. Besides, he could never hate you. To my knowledge, you’re the only girl he’s liked. He’d do anything to keep what you two have.”

Betty nodded, taking a deep breath.

“Alright. Thank you, Archie.”

“Anytime.”

He let go of her hands, and stepped away towards the path to his house, giving Betty a wave before he closed the door behind him. Betty wandered back to her house.

“Hey, Mum. I’m home!” she called as she entered the quiet house.

Alice Cooper’s head popped up from behind the kitchen wall.

“Hello, Elizabeth. How was your day? Anything newsworthy?”

“Uh, no, not really,” Betty answered, restraining her thoughts of Jughead, making sure they didn't influence the tone in her voice. She didn’t want her mother to suspect that something strange had happened today. Alice didn’t need to know about Jughead anyway. Betty walked into the kitchen, falling into one of the dining table chair, and laying her head onto her hands.

“What about that new girl you told me about? Selena, right?” Alice asked.

“Sabrina,” Betty corrected, “and uh, I guess. She’s nice, but I feel like she’s hiding something.”

Alice sat into the adjacent chair, evidently interested.

“Elizabeth, you know what journalists do when something doesn’t feel right?”

“They investigate,” Betty answered knowingly, already having heard this whole spiel. It was what her mum had used as a pep talk on many occasions.

“Exactly. So if you want to figure this girl out, investigate.”

“Uh, thanks mum. I’ll keep that in mind.”

Betty left her mum to her own devices, and went to her room. She took out her diary and plonked herself onto her bed. She opened it to the last page she’d used, skimming over the words written in her delicate handwriting.

_Dear Diary,_

_Jughead took me to a dandelion field last night. It was so beautiful. They were like little white pom poms. The air was cold, so we shared a blanket while we watched a movie. It was reminiscent of the drive-in, the only difference being that we were without a car, and that we were alone. When it finished, we made wishes under those ‘nameless stars’, as Jughead called them. I could never ask for a sweeter person for me to love._

 Betty didn’t read further, instead hugging the diary close to her, trying to remember that happiness she had felt when she’d written it down. How could so little time have passed since then for her emotions to be so different. She placed the diary onto her bed, and pulled out her pen, putting down her thoughts that were swirling around.

_Dear Diary,_

_I don’t know what to do. It’s as if last night never happened. Jughead was distant today, though he seemed genuinely happy, and I’m just not sure what could have changed since the morning. He only started acting strangely after his ‘talk’ with Sabrina. Something is going on, and I’m scared at what that ‘something’ is._

 Betty paused when she heard the doorbell ring, and she perked up, wondering who it could be. Shortly after, she heard the door open and her mother yell.

 “Elizabeth, it’s Jughead!”

 Betty rocketed off the bed, rushing to hide her diary. Once she had returned it to it’s hiding place, she called down to her mum that he could come in. Soon, she heard footsteps approaching and her bedroom door opened, allowing her to see Jughead. He looked nervous, unsure, his eyes darting around the room before landing on Betty, who was waiting on the bed. She managed a smile.

 “Hey Juggie. Do you want to sit?”

 He nodded, walking towards her and carefully sitting beside her on the bed. He wasn’t as close as he normally was, with a relatively big space wedged between the two teenagers. Betty felt her emotions claw at her, teasing her over the trivial detail. Jughead played with the fabric of his jacket sleeve.

 “Archie said I hurt your feelings. I’m sorry if I made you upset,” he mumbled sincerely.

 Betty sighed.

 “You just seemed aloof today.” She shifted to face him on the bed. “Did I do something to hurt you? Is everything okay?”

 Jughead quirked his head, a frown on his face.

 “No, you didn’t do anything. Nothing particularly bad has happened to me recently.”

 “Then why did you seem uncomfortable with my touch?”

 Jughead’s mouth flickered upwards.

 “I’m like that with everyone,” he said good-heartedly, most likely as to try to break the tension.

 “Not since I’ve known you. Juggie, please, if something has happened, tell me. I won’t be angry with you.”

 Jughead’s smile fell.

 “I swear I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

 Betty raised an eyebrow, before resting her hand on his leg experimentally. Immediately, he looked at it suspiciously. Betty felt his leg tense, and edge away minutely from her hand. Betty withdrew her hand, letting out a deep sigh. Jughead did too.

 “I can’t help it, Betty. It’s my natural reaction.”

 Betty scooched closer, making sure not to touch him as she went to look into his eyes, trying to find something, anything, in them.

 “Is it related to what you told me last night?”

 “What happened last night?” Jughead questioned curiously.

 Betty recoiled, shocked. He didn’t remember. How was that possible? They talked about it only this morning, while they were in the student lounge. He had smiled fondly at the newly made memory, and they had discussed the movie and the stars. Betty had felt so happy then. Now, it was all but gone as she looked into the eyes of the blatantly clueless Jughead.

 “You don’t remember?”

 He shook his head slowly, his eyes flickering down, as if he was trying to recall. For a moment, he seemed to be remembering, a look of realisation growing on his face. But then, a bright flash of pink escaped his eyes and he sagged down unconscious. Betty let out a surprised yelp, and managed to catch him before he fell to the floor. He didn’t respond, motionless in her arms like a rag doll. Betty felt horror overcome her, and she yelled out desperately for her mother.

Betty knew her fears had been realised. Something was definitely wrong with Jughead.


	8. Fainting Spell

Betty’s mum rushed in the room, her shoes frantically tapping against the floor.  
“What happened?” she asked with genuine worry.

“I-I don’t know,” Betty stuttered out.

“I’m calling 911,” Alice said, pulling out her phone, her fingertips ready to grace the numbers upon the screen. She paused when she heard a tired moan escape Jughead, who was stirring in Betty’s arms. Alice crouched down beside Betty, watching the boy as he woke from his brief stint of unconsciousness. He whimpered quietly, his eyes bunched up in pain. They soon opened, no remainder of that strange, unexplainable pink that had appeared before he had fallen unconscious. Betty’s mind was telling her it had been her imagination, but she knew that was just her rationality speaking. She knew what she saw. Whatever had made Jughead faint was not natural.

Jughead didn’t seem aware of his surrounding, his eyes lazily floating around the room, passing over Betty several times. Eventually, the pupils seemed to focus, and Jughead quietly muttered.  
“What’d I miss?” He flinched suddenly, and let out a groan, rubbing at his forehead.“Damn, my head hurts.”

“Not unexpected. You just fainted,” Alice explained.

Jughead looked up to her, his eyes still slightly disorientated.  
“I guess that explains why I’m on the floor. Why did I faint?”

“I was hoping you could tell me,” Alice said sternly.

Betty bit her lip. She wasn’t certain of her suspicions, and she knew neither her mum or Jughead would believe her, so she remained quiet on the subject. She did speak up, however, of a related matter.  
“That’s the second time today, Jughead.”

Alice placed her gaze on Betty.  
“This happened once before? Why didn’t you tell me when I asked how your day was, Elizabeth? This could be serious.”

“Sorry, mum. I just thought it was a one time thing.”

Jughead looked immensely tired as he watched the interaction between the Cooper women.   
“Can...can I lay down?”

The two blond hair ladies nodded, helping him up onto Betty’s bed. He spread out, keeping one hand upon his forehead as he rubbed at it, trying to erase whatever pain was within his head. Betty whispered to her mother to get a glass of water, to which the older Cooper agreed, leaving the room. Betty seated herself at the end of the bed, watching over Jughead like a guardian angel. Jughead seemed to doze off into a fitful sleep, so when Alice returned, she left the glass of water of the end table. She told Betty that she would go to the pharmacist to get some medicine for Jughead, and left promptly. Betty smiled at that. Now her dad was gone, her mum was really becoming a better, more caring person. After her mum left, there was a half an hour of silence that passed before a voice interrupted it.

“What’s going on?”

Betty looked to Jughead when he muttered those quiet, scared words. She went to answer, to comfort him, but stopped when she realised when he was still asleep. 

“Betty! Betty! Help!” he moaned fearfully, tossing on the bed, rumpling the fabric underneath him.

Betty rushed to his side, shaking him from whatever nightmare was tormenting him. His eyes fluttered open, and flitted to Betty. Again, he looked around disoriented, but this time he looked more awake, alert. He managed a smile.  
“Hey Betty. Did I fall asleep?”

“Yeah…” Betty answered with a frown.

He rubbed the back of his neck.  
“Geez, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to. I hope you weren’t telling me something interesting. I swear whatever it was I wasn’t bored.”

“It’s fine, Jughead,” she assured. She wasn’t sure if she should mention if he fainted. It seemed he had forgotten that too. Betty didn’t know what was going on, but she knew that it had something to do with his memory. So far, she had no reason to suspect otherwise.

Betty heard the rumble of her mum’s car. Jughead perked up, looking towards the window eagerly.  
“Is that my parents?”

Betty blinked, taken aback.  
“Why would you think that?”

Jughead shrugged.  
“Well, they’ve probably been missing me. Besides, I think it’s time for me to go home. Sleepovers don’t normally last this long….”

A look of contemplation fell over his eyes, and Betty rushed to distract him. She was almost certain that trying to remember something he’d forgotten was what had caused him to faint last time.  
“It’s just my mum. She got you some medicine.”

“There’s no need. I’m fine.”

“Well, it’s just a precaution.”

“But I’m fine,” he stated again, more firmly.

“No, you’re not,” Betty argued sternly. Jughead stared at her, and she returned the challenge. The two competed for a bit, before Jughead’s shoulders sagged in defeat, a muttered ‘fine’ on his lips.

Alice entered shortly after, a pill bottle in hand. She gave it to Betty.  
“It’s for blood pressure, but you should ask Fred to take him to doctor to get a more specific prescription.”

“How’d you get this, Mum,” she asked, frowning at the bottle, turning it in her hand.

“It’s my usual prescription,” her mum said as Betty read ‘Cooper, Alice’ on the bottle, “I just pretended I needed a refill. Jughead can keep those. I don’t need any at the moment. Seeing as I have no job now, I’ve been able to look after myself better.”

Alice left before Betty could speak to her about that certain issue, and the teenager sighed. She’d have to bring that up some other time. She had a bigger issue at the moment, anyhow. She looked to the raven haired boy upon her bed. Jughead had been playing with the comforter, evidently trying to not impose on the conversation, but the moment Alice was gone, he focused onto the bottle. Betty gave it to him and he read it avidly, albeit with furrowed eyebrows. He held it out distastefully once he had finished reading.  
“I really don’t need these.”

“Just take one, Jughead. For me,” Betty pleaded.

“I’m pretty sure people don’t usually beg their friends to take pills. Especially when they don’t need them.”

He wasn’t angry, but he was irritated, that much Betty could tell. Nevertheless, she stared him down. He rolled his eyes.  
“Fine. Gosh, you are petty, making me take pills. Pills!” he exclaimed like it was an inconceivable notion. He finished by muttering: “What is the world coming to?”

He sighed dramatically before gulping down the pill, taking the glass of water Alice had left beforehand to wash it down. Betty meanwhile was seriously contemplating his words. What was the world coming to? Everything was so messed up right now. She needed someone there to help her figure this out. Archie came to mind almost immediately. She leaned back to look at Archie’s house through her window, seeing the certain red head sitting on his bed playing on his guitar. Betty reached into her pocket to grab her phone, quickly typing a text that basically demanded him to help her, and sent it just as swiftly.

After a moment, she watched as the boy flinched at what was probably his phone vibrating in his pocket, taking said item out and into his hands. He read it, and looked up to Betty. Even from the distance, Betty could see the scar set between his eyebrows crinkle. She mouthed 'come over', and Archie nodded slowly after a moment of hesitation, getting up off his bed. He put his guitar down on his bed and disappeared out of the room.

Betty returned to looking at Jughead, who was rolling a pill between his fingers, scowling at it like it was cyanide. Upon realising he was being watched, he put it back into the bottle. When he raised his head, he was smirking.   
"Do you think I could replace these with Tic Tacs? Just saying, nobody would ever know."

Betty chuckled softly, shaking her head.  
"Sorry, but no."

He slumped.   
"Worth a try, I guess."

Rushing footsteps became audible, and Archie soon appeared at the door. He looked between Betty and Jughead, the latter still looking petulant about the pills. Archie frowned.  
"What's the issu-"

"Come in and close the door," Betty interrupted.

Archie followed her instructions.   
"Okay, uh, what now?"

"Sit down."

Archie wandered slowly over to the bed, seating himself beside Betty. Jughead watched curiously. Soon, the three were all upon the bed, their three bodies forming an imaginary triangle, with Jughead being the apex.

Archie waved to Jughead awkwardly.   
"Hey, man. How's...everything going?"

Jughead threw up his hands.  
"I have absolutely no idea."

Archie smiled.  
"Me neither. Why'd you ask me to come over, Betty?"

"I need your help," Betty replied. 

Jughead looked between the two, eyes widening.   
"Please tell me these isn't some sort of intervention."

Archie and Betty answered at the same time, though with different answers.  
"No."  
"Sort of."

Archie snapped his head to Betty.  
"Sort of?" he repeated incredulously.

Meanwhile, Jughead fell back onto the cushion.  
"Okay. Sorry, but I'm going to intervene on your intervention by falling asleep. Goodnight," he said sarcastically, tucking his hands under his head like a vertical prayer.

"Jughead, " Betty sighed.

"Shh. Sleeping."

Betty rolled her eyes. She felt Archie shift beside her, leaning close to whisper in her ear.  
"Really, why did you call me over?"

"I was right about Jughead. Something is wrong. He fainted before."

"What? Really? Is he okay?" Archie exclaimed quietly.

"He is now. I just want to test something. I need you as a witness."

"Uh, okay."

Betty nudged Jughead's foot. He stirred from his mock sleep, raising his head off the pillow.   
"You guys done whispering? Can I go?"

"No,” she replied curtly.

Jughead rolled onto his back, crossing his arms across his chest.  
"If I'm going to be a prisoner, can I at least get some food?"

Betty shook her head and Jughead pouted. Betty shared a look with Archie, telling him silently to pay attention, before she scooted over to Jughead. 

"Can you tell me something, Juggie?"

"Shoot," he muttered as he sat up.

"What was it like the first time you kissed me?"

Betty could practically sense Archie's discomfort as she felt him shift on the bed. Jughead frowned.

"I've never kissed you,” he said certainly. That certainty stuttered, his eyebrows falling, “...I don’t think I have anyway….I’m not sure..."

He frowned, unsure. This time, when the look of contemplation shadowed his face, Betty didn't interrupt it. She didn’t want him to faint again, but she had to be absolutely certain. Jughead's eyes flickered to and fro, searching, lost. They soon fell on Betty's lips, and they widened sharply. At first, he smiled, and everything was okay.

But then it wasn’t. Just as it had done before, the pink light flashed in his eyes for only a moment before being hidden behind his eyelids, and he fell back, the pillow catching him.

"Sorry, " she murmured to his unconscious body. She was upset that she had to make him faint again to prove her beliefs, but it was necessary. She was certain in her assumptions now. The bed tilted suddenly. Betty turned to see that Archie had jumped off the bed, eyes wide and a hand covering his mouth in shock.

"What the fu-!"

"Shh, shh," Betty ordered. "I don’t want mum to hear you. She would think something was up if she found out he'd fainted again."

"B-b-but his eyes!" Archie stammered out, pointing at his unconscious friend.

"I know. I noticed it before. I thought it'd be more worthwhile to test it while someone else is watching. So that they'd believe me and help me."

Archie let out a breath, trying to calm himself. It took a while, but he eventually could speak with a level voice.  
"I guess that makes sense. But nothing else does. I’m so confused."

“Nothing new there.”

Jughead was the one to make the quiet, sarcastic remark, his words thick with drowsiness. He sat up, rubbing his head.  
“Did someone shoot me in the head? I know I can be a dick, but come on.”

Betty smiled, happy he was okay. She placed her hand on Jughead’s cheek, forgetting his recent aversion to it. Surprisingly, he didn’t flinch, softening into it with a smile. Betty frowned at this reversal of his recent behaviour.  
“Jughead?”

“The one and only,” he mumbled, as his eyes fluttered sleepily, and his head sagged into her hand. His breath became gentle. He was asleep once more. She held it, rubbing his cheek affectionately before putting his head down onto the pillow. 

She looked to Archie, letting out a deep breath. He looked flabbergasted. Betty assumed she did as well. Archie sank to the floor, cradling his head in his hands.  
“What is going on?”

Betty slide down off the bed, and crawled over to sit in front on Archie.  
“I don’t know. But I think I know who to ask.”

Archie raised his brown eyes upwards.  
“Who?”

“Sabrina," Betty concluded with certainty, "We need to speak to Sabrina.”


	9. Archie and Archwitches

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay. I'm been....busy. I wish I could say I was busy with important stuff, but really I was having a Marvel movie binge fest. And reading lots of Marvel fanfiction. Blame the Thor Ragnorok trailer for making me want to rewatch all the movies again. But come on, they are great (top three for me would have to be The Avengers, Winter Soldier and Civil War). Now Star Wars and Doctor Who are threatening me to binge watch them as well. And as always there's Riverdale and Supernatural sitting on my shoulders whispering for me to rewatch some episodes, both persistent as ever for me to be lazy. Stop it, fandoms. I need to focus. Hush. God, this is why I'm so unproductive.
> 
> This here chapter (was not intended to be pirate speak but oh well) is me finally finding the initiative to write. Don't worry, I'm not one for writers block (humble brag). I plan meticulously. Sadly, I am a procrastinator, and therefore there will be times you'll have to wait. Sorry.
> 
> Anyway, please enjoy this chapter.

Betty and Archie waited for Jughead to awake once more, both unsure what to expect. Would he be who he had always been, the sarcastic, gloomy, sensitive and affectionate Jughead? Or the lively, excitable, yet aloof Jughead, who had since replaced the previous? 

When the raven haired boy’s eyes fluttered, the watchers approached, sharing a look of uncertainty. Jughead let out a content hum, nuzzling against the pillow on which his head lay, his head shifting into a position that hid one of his eyes. The visible eye opened minutely, and his pupil peered out drowsily. A smile tugged at his lips.  
“Hello,” he murmured happily.

He lay there for a bit, evidently still sleepy, but he soon rose into a sitting position. He swept his hand through his hair, in an attempt to ruffle it, looking up in surprise when his hand met his beanie. He tugged it off casually and placed it on the end table, and in that moment, Betty was certain this was not the Jughead she knew. She sighed. She thought everything had been back to normal. He had seemed so much like himself when he had fallen asleep. Nevertheless, this was still Jughead, and so she greeted him politely.  
“Hello, Jughead. How did you sleep?”

“Quite well, thanks. Raises the question though: Why are you two watching me sleep?”

He had an eyebrow raised, his head quirked. It looked so sweet and innocent, his confusion, and Betty struggled not to hug him affectionately. She instead gave a strained smile.  
“We were worried. You….weren’t acting like yourself.”

"Understatement," she heard Archie mutter, though Jughead didn't seem to hear, unaware of the palpable atmosphere of the room as he spoke.

“Is it because of those pills you gave me? I told you I didn’t need them, remember." Jughead shrugged in a way that meant 'just saying'.

Betty managed not to let her surprise show. He remembered that certain detail. Why then were other things forgotten? There was some strategy to his absent memory, some reason why they were forgotten. She looked to Archie, who was frowning. Betty returned to look at Jughead, making her expression as happy as possible.  
“Archie and I are just going to go check on something for a sec. You won’t touch any of my things while we’re gone, right?.”

“Scouts honour,” Jughead said, hand raised like he was swearing an oath on the Bible.

“You hate scouts,” Archie replied, crossing his arms.

“Not Girl Scouts! Their cookies are sublime,” Jughead argued, before he stared wistfully away, probably imagining the glorious food item.

Archie rolled his eyes, but his smile proved he meant no ill intent by the gesture. Betty gripped his upper arm, leading him out of the room whilst Jughead was distracted with his thoughts. Archie didn’t relent, allowing her to do so. Betty led him into Polly’s old room, which was far enough that Jughead would not hear them easily. Only when she was certain the other boy didn’t follow them, did she speak to Archie, through mostly stern whispers.

“I need you to find out where Sabrina is. I have no idea myself, but people are sure to have seen her. She might be staying at someone’s house or something. But, once you find her, bring her here. We need her to reverse whatever she did.”

“I’m not a detective, Betty. That’s Jughead’s job.”

“Not this time, Archie. This time, it’s our job. For once, Jughead needs our help. Please, you’re the only person I got right now.”

Archie paused, thinking. His thoughtful expression was soon replaced by a brilliant smile.  
“Sure. I’ll do whatever it takes.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sabrina woke with a start when she heard rapid knocking on the hotel door. Salem beside her groaned irritably, placing his paws over his ears as the knocking persisted. Sabrina looked to the clock beside her, moaning at the digits that glowed red on the screen. 7:35 was too early for a Saturday in her opinion. And yet the knocking continued. Damn whoever it was. Sabrina rolled off the bed and into a standing position, shuffling to the door like a sloth. She opened the door, and became alert almost instantly when shock snapped her out of her drowsiness.

The knocker was none other than Archie, who looked like a zombie, eyes dragged down by thick, dark bags, and his hair ruffled as of by a vacuum. His appearance alone told Sabrina he had not slept for some time. Somehow, he managed to speak without a tired slur.  
“Hey Sabrina.”

Sabrina leaned against the door, crossing her arms. She frowned in confusion.  
“Hi. Sorry to be rude, but what are you doing here? And...how’d you know I was here?”

Archie rubbed his eyes, the hand then trailing down his face wearily.  
“Long story, that.”

“I have time.” She gestured for him to come inside.

Archie shook his head.  
“I’ll tell you on the way.”

Sabrina paused at that.  
“On the way to where?”

Somehow, despite his tired appearance, Archie managed to stare intently at her.  
“To Jughead.”

Sabrina bit her lip.  
“Why?” she asked innocently.

“You know why.”

It was the certainty in his voice that made Sabrina's heart drop. He knew. He knew of her magic. And he was far from happy. She retreated a step, fearful of what Archie would do next. Would he tell people? Or maybe start a one man witch hunt? Either way, she was screwed. Her life as a witch was over. Cue the universal consequences. Archie’s next words, however, brought some relief.  
“I don’t what you did, but Jughead isn’t okay. And I need you to fix it.”

He didn’t know about the magic. Oh bless Hecate, Sabrina thought happily. That joy faded when she took in his words. She spoke bitterly.  
“You want to fix Jughead? There’s nothing to fix.”

Archie grimaced.  
“His just….his not Jughead anymore. Not the Jughead I know anyway. Please, undo whatever you did.”

Sabrina blinked, before scowling.  
“No, I won’t.”

Archie eyes widened in surprise.  
“So you did do something!" He said it as if he didn't truly believe it till now. "That means you can undo it?”

“I won’t," she repeated again, sternly.

“But you can,” Archie discerned, frowning, ”….so why don’t you want to help?”

“Because he’s happy now!” Sabrina yelled angrily,” And I won’t ruin that.”

Archie’s eyes darkened with resolve, and burned with an anger Sabrina had never seen in him.  
“Yeah sure, he’s happy. But Jughead was happy before you did whatever you did. He had me, he had Betty. He had what he had. But now all memory of that is gone, replaced with some, some...false life! You can’t leave him like that, because it’s not living. It’s not happiness. It’s lies, and Jughead would hate that. He would hate living any day where he isn’t true to himself. So, if you like it or not, you are helping me save my best friend from this façade you’ve place on him. Because he will never be happy if you leave him like that. Never. You gotta undo this, for his sake. And for everyone else who loves him.”

Sabrina felt her breath escape her, and her legs wobbled beneath her. She quickly retreated to her bed before she could fall to the ground, landing heavily onto the mattress. Her head landed in her arms, and she breathed in and out rapidly. What Archie had just said had hit her like an arrow, each word causing her heart to bleed. She placed her gaze on Archie, who seemed to have used most of his energy in his heated words, leaning heavily onto the small round table placed near the door. He muttered quietly, landing one more blow on Sabrina.  
“I didn’t spend all night looking for you to give up now. I’ll never give up on Jughead. I will help Betty do whatever she can to return Jughead to us.”

Sabrina was shaking her head, but she wasn’t saying no. She didn’t know what to do. She wanted Jughead to be happy, but what Archie had said had messed up her ideals. By making him happy, it had changed him. Even she had noticed it. But was it for the better? The question remained: it is was no longer him, then was it his happiness, or someone else's, some imitation that didn’t share his heart? Sabrina felt someone nudge her gently, and she looked to see Salem watching her with sad amber eyes.  
“The boy is right. You need to fix this.”

Sabrina went to berate Salem for talking in the presence of Archie, but she was too late, for she was interrupted by said boy swearing loudly and tripping onto the ground. A muttered ‘ow’ followed this, and in any other circumstance, Sabrina would have laughed at the sight. She remained silent however, watching with teary eyes as the boy rose, looked astonished.  
“Did….did that cat just-”

“Talk?” Salem interrupted. He smirked and jumped off the bed, slinking towards Archie, who retreated like Salem was a snake raring to bite. Salem continued talking.  
“Why, yes. Now, I for one agree with you. It was all Sabrina’s idea, anyway.”

“Hey! You never said I shouldn’t,” Sabrina disagreed, albeit feebly, uncommitted in her argument. 

“Well, I guess I’m saying it now. If you won’t listen to Archie, listen to me. Jughead needs you, Sabrina.”

Archie nodded along as Salem spoke, despite looking incredibly rattled by what was happening. Sabrina deflated. Well, Archie was aware of magic now, due to Salem. Obviously the cunning cat had done that on purpose, so to force her hand. Nothing should be stopping her now, because magic was one of the main factors of her hesitance to help. And yet here she remained unsure. She knew why. Some immoral part of her still wanted Jughead to remain in his happiness, however false. Happiness was happiness. Right? Sabrina sighed harshly into the now silent room. Look, she was still trying to justify it. No, she couldn’t think that way, for it was just another set of lies. Happiness was different for everyone. She couldn’t leave Jughead in this lie she had conjured.

She knew why she wanted him to stay that way though. Deep down, she knew it was because she wanted to be happy herself. She wanted it so bad. Sure, she wasn't depressed, but she was so lonely, and lost, with magic being both poison and remedy. She was like a villain, making others pay for something she didn’t have. Jughead was her victim. She had made him achieve something akin to happiness so she could feel it herself, to make herself feel good. To feel like she could control it. But joy isn’t controllable, and it never would be. All she did was make more people suffer in her attempt to do so. She felt a tear escape her eye, and she rubbed it away, hoping to hide the evidence of her inner turmoil to the cat and boy present in the room. 

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” she muttered repeatedly. Each repetition was sincere, each an apology for everyone affected by her silly little game. Why? Why did it take Archie and a psychoanalysis to realise the mistake of her action? She had been so damn blind. She came here to escape magic, but all she did was take it with her. She was the problem, not the magic. It is the one who wields the sword that slays the other, not the sword itself, and yet the killer blames the sword for it holds the stain of the blood. She had blamed all the wrong people for her misfortunes. All this was for naught, because all it did was provide her with an excuse to make another mistake. To ruin everything, ruin everyone, most of all Jughead. She should never have played god. Sabrina flinched when she felt arms wrap around her body, stealing her away from her self hatred. She softened when she realised the warm and comforting embrace belonged to Archie. She fell into it, finding the support to be much needed. 

“It’s okay, it’s okay. I forgive you,” Archie comforted gently.

“I’m sorry,” Sabrina said for the final time, “I didn’t mean to hurt Jughead, or you, or Betty. I just wanted to help.”

“I know. And now we need you to. You have to help us....with your voodoo or whatever. Just....please?”

Sabrina let out a deep breath, before nodding.  
“Okay. I will.”


	10. The Shadows That Day Brings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry about the delay. Turns out my already terrible procrastination is exaggerated when I have plenty of time to squander. Unfortunately, I have exams coming up, so I'm going to be studying, so not much writing for about a week. Yes, so much fun, I know. So, as I reward to both you, the reader, and myself, I wrote a special Jughead POV in this chapter. 
> 
> Please enjoy this. It's not long, I know, but I hope it's enough.

As the night had passed, Betty had grown wearier and wearier as she waited for her redheaded friend to return with Sabrina. Jughead was not only weary, but irritated, that much was obvious, as he kept asking when he could go home and when he could have something to eat. The latter demand she did eventually surrender to, giving him a sandwich. Well, sandwiches. Jughead would not settle for less than seven. Betty was unprepared in the face of this exaggerated appetite. Whatever had happened to him had made insanely hungry. 

He remained on her bed, arms crossed petulantly, as the night got into the later hours. He said if he couldn’t leave, then he could at least have the bed to sleep on. Betty was left with just a chair, and she sat there for some time, both watching for Archie’s return through the window, and Jughead as he slept soundly on the bed. Her eyes were heavy that night, as so she allowed herself to shut them, if only for a moment.

At some point, she must have fell asleep, because when she opened her eyes, the light was breaking on the horizon. Morning, she noted drowsily. She groaned when the pain in her neck brought by sleeping on a chair came to light. She yelled angrily when she discovered the other pain in the neck, Jughead, was missing from the bed. She searched her house frantically, asking her mother if she had seen the wayward boy. Unfortunately, Alice hadn’t seen him despite her early rise, and that meant that Jughead had left during the night. Betty raced other to Archie’s house to check if he was there, but Fred told her neither Archie or Jughead had returned.

Betty at that point was flipping out, though quietly and internally. She had to maintain some sensibility. She sat on her bed, clenching her fists tightly, unsure of what to do. Should she look for him, or wait for Archie to return with Sabrina? She sat there for a while, pondering the question, when she heard a knock at the door. She knew her dilemma had been answered when she heard Archie call out to her.

She sped down the stairs, opening the door, greeted by a tired looking Archie and a sad looking Sabrina. They both looked groggy, though the former was definitely the worse off of the two. Despite this, Betty couldn’t help herself when she saw her. This was all Sabrina's fault. Everything that was happening was because of her. Born from frustration and annoyance, she slapped the hapless girl in the face, the sound sharp and abrupt, the attack not light or overly viscous. It did however leave a red mark on Sabrina’s cheek, which darkened to look like a one sided blush . When Betty realised what she’d done, her hand flew back to her mouth, and she gasped.  
“Oh my gosh! I’m sorry!” she apologised hurriedly.

Sabrina didn’t even look angry.  
“It’s okay. I deserved it.”

Archie looked ready to collapse, and yet he managed to smile, though it did follow the look of surprise he had worn as he had watched Betty slap Sabrina.  
“Hey. How’s Jughead?”

Betty cringed, looking down shamefully.  
“He ran away in the night. I don’t know where he is.”

Archie and Sabrina eye’s widened, and they looked at her in horror. Sabrina was the first to overcome it, eyes narrowing with determination.  
“Then we look for him. We’ll find him, and then I will help you get your friend back.”

~~~~~~~~~~~

Jughead was lost. And not just in the physical sense. His whole world was shaking, blurring between what was there and what felt like memories. But he didn’t recognise them, any of them, and every time it happened, his hurt burned, and he felt woozy. He didn’t know what was going on, and he was in pain, which was just getting worst by the hour. 

The day before had been strange. All his friends had seemed worried. At first, he wasn’t entirely sure why. He was fine. Better than fine. He'd felt quite happy, in fact. But then, as the afternoon came round, everything started feeling strange. He couldn’t pinpoint when exactly, or how to describe the shift. He’d lost time, of that he was certain. But he couldn’t recall how he’d lost time, or in which way he'd lost it, but he knew that the sunlight did not fade so quickly as it had seemed that afternoon.

Actually, he couldn’t recall much of anything. Especially before yesterday. And what he could felt like pictures for him to view, and not something he had done himself. He didn’t feel anything when he thought of them. Nothing at all. They didn’t feel like they belonged. They felt...foreign. And yet that was all he had to go on. All he had to know who he was. The only part of himself that he could trust was his instincts. 

That’s why he ran from Betty’s house, because every instinct was yelling at him to search for proof that everything was okay, and that he was overeacting. Betty wasn't telling him any time soon, and she hadn't been helping him by sitting there, watching him. It was Betty's eyes that compelled him to run, for they looked at him with a hurt he couldn’t understand. No, it was more like longing. Like when she looked at him she was thinking of someone else. Who did he remind of her of? Jughead wished he knew. He wished he understood why he felt like his skin was not his own. He wished food could solve it, as it had always done...or how he thought it always done. Wishes that he kept making, but none of which came true. 

Jughead didn’t know where to go, and the flickering visions weren’t helping. He wandered until the sun rose, which came with it’s own troubles. He eventually reached the edge of Eversgreen Forest, the sun filtering through the leaves of the trees. Hidden in the rays of lights, Jughead caught glimpses of a moment no longer occurring. He saw a group of people, all of which he recognised. The search party (Jughead couldn’t explain why he used that term to describe them) looked solemn, focused, murmurs echoing in Jughead’s ears. It faded as soon as it appeared, leaving the forest empty, quiet. 

Jughead staggered forward, shaking his head side to side to clear whatever it was that was causing the torment in his mind.  
It was pills that Betty gave him. It must be. He felt fine before he had them. Or he thought he felt fine...he hadn’t really thought about it. How long had this feeling been lingering under his other, no longer distracting emotions? He didn’t actually want to, because his head hurt every time he tried to remember anything. 

God, he was hungry. But at the same time, he wasn’t. It was a phantom hunger. Just as the visions were phantom memories. Then again, maybe it was he who was the phantom. He continued to stumble through the forest, his mind and body raging against hidden enemies. His head was just hurting more and more, the pain a fog that was amassing, and not going away not matter where his thoughts. He tried to think of every good memory he had, but they didn't help. Because they only felt real for a moment, and then a different one would try to replace it, and the pain would follow. There was no escape, and for hours he walked aimlessly through the forest.

He was so lost in his own troubled mind that he didn’t realise he had reached the river’s edge, and he tumbled down the shore, the sharp pebbles digging into his skin as he tumbled. He managed to slow his fall, so he didn’t fall in the river and end up like Jason.

That thought stung like crazy. Why the hell did the river make him think of Jason? He sat up, unaware of the cuts all upon his body, trying his damn hardest to figure what he was missing/ Whatever it was, it felt important. something he should know. The pain grew and grew, but then for one moment, it was clear, everything. He knew who had done this to him, and he knew what she had taken from him. He knew why his Betty had looked so sad. It was like the looking glass had been cleaned of all the fog that distorted it, and he could finally see what he hadn’t before.

But then something inside him choked the lucidity, and once again unconsciousness snatched it all away.


	11. Broke His Crown

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's been awhile. Exams were horrible, but I did good, so that's that. 
> 
> I think I'm close to wrapping this up. I'm guessing maybe three chapters left, maximum four. I'll try not to take forever doing so.
> 
> Enjoy.

Betty sunk down onto the park bench, the wood groaning underneath her. Her head fell into her hands, a tired sigh escaping her. She had looked everywhere she could think of. Sabrina and Archie had looked everywhere else, before Betty had finally ordered the latter to go home and rest when he had almost fainted during a phone call. Hours searching, and Jughead was nowhere to be found, the afternoon sun telling her that the day was half over, and that she would eventually run out of daylight. With a murderer on the loose, it wasn't safe for Jughead to someplace where no one was aware of his whereabouts.

Betty let out a sob, unable to contain her sadness anymore, the irritation that accompanied it causing her to throw her hand down hard against the rotting wood of the bench. Everything was so screwed up. Betty wished she could go back to before summer, when everything had been perfect, when Jason Blossom was alive and Jughead was just...well, Jughead; bitter, cynical, pretentious, lovable, geeky Jughead.

Her Jughead.

Betty felt her salty tears sting at her frustrated eyes, along with the pain her nails were inflicting upon her palms. She was hoping maybe the pain would suffocate her sadness, but it wasn’t making her feel any better. All it was doing was making her skin bleed whilst her eyes wept. She was breaking at the seams.

Her phone broke her from her painful reverie, the uplifting tune ringing out mockingly. She pulled it out, and froze when she read the caller I.D.

_Jughead❤_

She fumbled the phone in her fingers as she rushed to answer it, her breath quickening. She’d tried calling him many times since she began looking, but he’d never answered. The fact that he was calling was amazing. She tapped sharply at the ‘Accept’ button and pressed the phone against her ear.

“Jughead, are you okay?” she immediately asked when she heard the call connect. She couldn't stop worry from influencing her tone.

Jughead didn’t answer, but by the ragged breath she could hear on the other end, the answer wasn’t good. Betty sprung up from the bench, somehow even more worried than she was before Jughead called.

“Please, talk to me. Tell me where you are.”

She heard Jughead groan sadly. His voice sounded so quiet, and childlike in its utterance.  
“My head...it hurts.”

Betty swallowed the thickening lump in my throat.  
“Juggie, I need you to tell me where you are. Then I can help you.”

“I’m…..I’m at a….river,” he murmured hesitantly.

Betty nodded, her lip trembling as she did. There was only one river that ran through Riverdale, and that was Sweetwater River, a place that seemed to attract momentous things. She began running towards it, keeping the phone against her ear, her grip on it tight.  
“Yes, yes, just listen to my voice. What do you see? Anything specific?”

“Trees…..a trail….um, water?”

Betty managed to not voice her frustration with his vague descriptions, instead pouting in annoyance. She had to be patient, and thankfully it was rewarded.

“There’s….Archie, and..your name….it’s on a tree.”

Betty blinked at Jughead’s words. A foggy memory of her and Archie digging coins into a tree, inscribing their names appeared in her mind. It was all very cliche, as they had carved a heart around their names. God, they had been so innocent. She couldn’t recall where the tree was exactly, but she had a general idea. She frowned when she realised it was only a small distance downstream from where Jason had been found. She shook her head, ignoring the growing pit in her stomach. She quickened her pace, and corrected her direction.

“Betty….what’s happening to me?” Jughead static voice mumbled into her ear, startling Betty from her thoughts

Betty eyes widened. He was aware that something was wrong with him, unlike he had before. Was this her Jughead talking?

“Jughead, are you....is this really you?” she asked hopefully. She heard a sigh crackle over the phone, followed by a sad and bitter laugh.

“That’s the problem....I don’t know.”

It was all he said before he hung up. Betty swung the phone away from her ear, looking to the screen helplessly. What did he mean? She began sprinting, ignoring the pain in her chest, that was born from exhaustion and poignant melancholy. The harsh taps of her shoes meeting the ground was the only thing she was aware of. When she reached the forest, she swept past the trees with ease, her determination guiding her to the place hidden deep in her memories, which now was harbouring Jughead. No matter what state he was in now, he needed her help.

She could feel her lungs clawing at her, telling her frantically to stop. But she wouldn’t, not for anything. Eventually, the sound of water running broke into the ambience of the forest, and Betty managed to run even faster than before, ignoring all the pain she felt in her body. Jughead wouldn’t benefit from her catching her breath.

Grass became shoreline, the round pebbles underfoot causing Betty to stumble as she travelled along the river’s edge. The river was her only witness as she searched the shoreline for Jughead, or for a trace of him. Just a sign he was okay. Betty paused after a few minutes of searching when she heard a new sound. The rush of water was now accompanied by a ragged breath, like that of an animal dying, on the brink of oblivion. It was a breath of a creature in torment, tortured by pain.

It was the breath of Jughead.

Followed by his agonised scream.

Betty surged forward with blind focus, eyes widening when she saw the small, quivering body propped up against a small ledge that split the forest from the shoreline. His arms cradled his legs, shivering with a hidden cold, as if the arms were there to stop him from falling to pieces. It was undeniably Jughead, raven hair framing his face and more layers of clothing than needed covering his body, but his scared, hurt expression was unlike what she was accustomed. Betty had thought that nothing could further cement the fact that this Jughead was not her own, but this sure did. And it hurt more than anything.

“Jughead!” she yelled out, still a short distance away from him. He flinched like someone had slapped him, eyes snapping up to stare at her. Confusion settled into his anguished expression. Betty reached him and crouched down in front of him, reaching out for his hand. Jughead recoiled away, a soft whimper in his throat.

“Juggie, it’s just me. I won’t hurt you,” Betty soothed.

Jughead’s eyebrows furrowed.  
“Betty?”

“Yeah, yeah, it’s me.”

“You look older,” Jughead murmured, eyes studying her face in confusion.

Betty frowned.  
“What do you mean?”

Jughead shook his head in frustration, hands flying to his forehead, a quiet groan as he scrunched up his eyes tightly.  
“It’s gone. I knew they were gone…..My memories...I’m sorry. I don't know what….I don't know which one’s are real. But I can feel them all being...erased.”

His opened his eyes and looked at her with his glittering,resigned gaze.  
“I’ll be gone soon. I’m sorry.”

Betty shook her head frantically, throat tightening like she was being choked. Her voice got caught in it.  
“No....no! That’s not going to happen. You’ll be okay.”

Jughead smiled sadly.  
“You should go….it’s just get worse. Please, I don't want you to see me like that.”

“No!,” Betty yelled, more certain than before. “I’m not going to leave you like this.”

“I’m not dying, Betty," he chuckled bitterly, humour nonexistent, "I’m just becoming empty.” Jughead cast his eyes down, sighing wearily.

Betty rose determinedly, shaking her head slowly, her eyes burning.  
“That’s a bad as dying, you asshole. It’s you, not your body, that I love. Yesterday was so hard for me, having to see you as someone else. To have nothing remain would kill me. And like hell will I let that happen. I know who can fix this.”

Betty pulled her phone out of her pocket, scrolling her contacts for Sabrina. The phone ringed several times, before it clicked and Betty heard the other girl’s voice.  
“Hello? Did you find him?”

“Yes. And you need to get here now! I’m at Sweetwater River, downstream, near the town border,” Betty shouted into the phone.

“Why, what’s wrong?” Sabrina’s voice replied anxiously.

“Jughead said he can feel his memories being erased.”

“Oh no..” Sabrina mumbled in horror.

Betty looked down to Jughead, who was whimpering more profoundly now. Her nails dug into her palm, and her grip on her phone tightened. Sabrina sounded as if she knew what was happening. Betty felt a fury grow in her chest.  
“What is it, Sabrina?! Tell me how I can stop this!”

“His mind, it’s giving up. One life overtook another, until the true one fought back. Now, they're destroying each other, and in turn, destroying Jughead. You can’t stop it.”

Betty faltered, out of horror and confusion, the former more profound and controlling.  
“No, no, there must be a way,” she muttered frantically, her lip trembling.

“There is. Just….just make sure some part of him remains when I get there. I can’t mend what doesn’t exist.”

The call ended, Sabrina having hung up, leaving Betty with only Jughead’s quiet murmurs of pain. She sat down beside him, laying an arm around his shoulder. She felt him flinch under it, but she didn’t pull away, leaning in towards him. She took a deep breath, willing her voice to be calm. She had no idea what was happening, not really. Sabrina never got round to telling her. But Betty knew whatever was happening wasn’t something she could stop or control. All she could do was slow it down, and she had one idea of how to do so.

“Jughead, tell me a story.”

He looked to her, canting his head, a furrow in his brows.  
“Of what?”

“Of you. Tell me a story about you.”


	12. When A Star Dies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please don't kill me. I know it's been a long, long time (sorry, couldn't help myself, love that song). I'm sorry, truly. I hope you haven't joined a hit squad out to get me. It took some time for me to find the time and muse to write this chapter. School kind of sucks me dry and leaves me feeling lazy.
> 
> I hope this penultimate chapter is good enough to tide you over til the final chapter (13, great number to end on with a story involving a black cat). I'll try to make that extra long.
> 
> Enjoy this belated update. Again, sorry.

Jughead furrowed his brow, eyes flickering around as his mouth moved in silent words. Betty waited patiently, albeit with concern, as she watched him try to remember a memory to tell. When he began, he spoke uncertainly and quietly.

“I remember….we were at Pop’s….and it was a party. For Jellybean. It was her first birthday. And Archie and you were there. It was….a costume party. We went as the trio from Hogwarts. I don’t think I need to tell you who was who. “He chuckled softly, before continuing. “And I remember I put the glasses I'd got for my costume down for only a minute or so, and I came back to Jellybean slobbering all other it. She would eat anything she could. Must’ve got that from me. And I couldn’t get the glasses back, because she kept wailing when I tried taking them. All I got was slobber in the end. I had to wear sunglasses because they were the only glasses I could find, and then everyone thought I was Neo for some reason. I guess it was the dark robe and the sunglasses together. Then Jellybean made it worst by vomiting on my robe, so I had to get rid of that. By the end of the day, I just told everyone I was Angus Young in his schoolboy outfit. I had to play air guitar to make them believe me….but it was a fun day.”

Betty laughed.  
“Yeah, I remember that. Archie and I were Harry Potter-less. We were about 7, weren’t we?”

Jughead nodded slowly, before his hand flew to his head, and he groaned in pain, face tightening. He let out a stifled scream, followed by a harsh intake of breath. Betty gasped, unsure what she could do. She ended up rubbing circles into his shoulders. He whimpered softly, hissing in pain every so often. Betty hugged him close, knowing she could do nothing to stop the destruction happening in his brain. Despite the pain he was going through, he leaned into her touch.

Many minutes passed before some clarity returned to his eyes, but he seemed focused more on his breath than on her. Betty put a hand on his cheek, stroking it gently as she murmured assurances. His eyes flickered to her, and she took that as a sign that the episode of pain had passed.  
“Hey, hey, Juggie. You’re okay. Can you keep telling me stories? You won't have to do it for much longer I swear. Sabrina will be here soon.”

Jughead looked around with narrowed eyes.  
“Why’re we at Sweetwater?”

Oh. Betty felt her chest tighten. He’d forgotten what was happening to him. He'd lost more of himself. Not too long til it was all gone. Betty shook off the terrible thought, presenting him with a smile, however strained it was.  
“You wanted to tell me stories at the riverside. Said it was a great setting, and the ‘setting is half the experience’, as you always say.”

“That...does sound like something I’d say…”

“Yeah, it does,” she said wistfully. Jughead watched her, assessing her with those observant eyes.

“You seem sad. Did Archie say something mean again?”

“No, no, he didn’t,” she assured, “nothing like that. It’s just you were telling me about Jellybean and it made me sad to think about how long ago that way now.”

Jughead looked at her, a flicker of youthful confusion crossing his face.  
“Who’s Jellybean?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sabrina ran like she was a witch in the Salem Witch Trials. Which was pretty fast (she'd heard some great stories from her relatives about those days, though none ever called them 'good' or 'old'). The cat Salem was not having any fun as he was jostled around in Sabrina’s bag, making many angry groans as she sped down the shoreline. He, however, made no verbal arguments. He knew they were rushed for time.

The pebbles under her feet clicked against each other as she dug her feet into the ground, using the uneven surface to sprint as fast as she possibly could. This river was so long. Too much shore to scour. But she had no plans of stopping until she found Betty and Jughead. 

He was depending on her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Betty’s heart dropped at Jughead's question.  
“She’s your sister.”

Jughead shook his head vehemently.  
“I don’t have any siblings. You and Archie are the closest thing I’ve got.”

A film of tears began distorting Betty’s vision, making everything blurry. She wiped at them hastily, trying her best to keep her mask of happiness on. Jughead didn’t seem fooled in the least, looking worried.  
“Why are you crying? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, it just,” a sob,” I need you to hold on. Please.”

“What do you-”

“Please,” she repeated more forcefully. "For me."

Jughead paused, startled, before he smiled at her, perplexed and amused. Betty never had seen a more beautiful smile, and her heart wept in bittersweet sorrow. He nodded.  
“Okay. I’ll try my best.”

Betty managed to laugh, though it came out more like another sob.  
“Promise?”

“Promise.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Running, running. This was worse than a maths test and her aunties combined. She blessed the sages she wasn’t in a zombie apocalypse. Ha, she wouldn’t last long. She wanted to stop, to catch her breath, use some spell to give her energy or something. But all those would waste precious seconds.

So she kept running.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

“My head hurts.”

“I know. Just hold on for me. Tell me one of your memories”

“Well….uh, I remember Archie broke his arm once.”

“Yeah, yeah. When he was 5. Tell me about that. Just until Sabrina gets here.”

“Is she important? Sabrina, I mean.”

“She is. She’s going to help you. Until then, do what you do best. Craft a story for me.”

Jughead smiled, like that was the nicest thing she could say, but it faltered mere seconds after it bloomed, and his eyes flooded with fear.

And then he screamed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

“You're unfit, you know that,” Salem muttered. Even under the sarcasm, Sabrina could tell her was anxious.

“Shut up, “deep gulp of air,” Salem. You're not….the one...running.” But he wasn’t wrong. Being a witch made her lazy. But he was a cat, so he was a total hypocrite.

“Maybe slow down a bit,” the lazy cat remarked seriously.

“Not...until, arghmylungs, I find...Jughead.”

“Well if you keep running you past them by. They’re right there,” Salem shouted, pointing his paw towards two figures up ahead on the shore, hidden almost out of view by a short cliff. Relief spread through Sabrina, and she felt a new determination fuel her, allowing her to sprint the rest of the way.

By the time she was a few steps away from Jughead and Betty, she was panting heavily, sweat coating her skin. 

“Betty. I’m here!” she yelled when she regained some breath. She strode quickly to the blond haired girl and the boy she was holding protectively. Betty's shoulders were shaking, contrasting Jughead’s absolute stillness. He stared out towards the river’s dancing surface, and yet he was looking a thousand miles away from it. His eyes hid nothing, for there was nothing. No amusement, no sadness, no anger. He looked beyond tired, he looked….empty.

Betty looked at her with teary eyes; Jughead didn’t even react to the movement beside him. Betty sobbed unrestrained.  
“Sab-sabrina, please, do s-something. He’s not...responding. He...had an episode, and now-” Betty couldn’t finish the sentence before she succumbed to shameless weeping.

Sabrina’s hand flew to her mouth. She was too late. Too late to stop the magic destroy all that was Jughead. This was her fault. All of this. She screwed everything up. She'd run away from magic and it’s problems to just throw herself into more, much worse ones. She couldn’t run away from this. She caused this. 

“I’m sorry I messed with your life. For all this. I didn't mean for this to happen. I just wanted him to be happy.”

Betty gave her a heated look, thick with tears yet scathing nevertheless.  
“Who’s says he wasn’t? Who says he wasn't happy? Because he didn't fit your definition? None of us have the right to make someone else enjoy a happiness that doesn’t fit them, because that’s not true. It’s a lie made to make another happy. Jughead might’ve not seemed happy to you, but at least he wasn’t living a lie.”

Sabrina felt her words like steel nails digging into her skin. Horror at her own twisted selfishness. Her legs gave away under her, and she fell onto her knees, like she was praying. If she wasn’t a pagan, or if she believed that the divine could fix this, she’d maybe would be praying for forgiveness. But instead, she let tears spill from her eyes.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I-”

Betty sighed weakly, wiping at her eyes, which were red rimmed.  
“I know. I know you are. It’s just...I never wanted this. I was happy...and despite what you think, I believe he was too. Even in this cruel world, we were happy together.”

Betty cradled Jughead’s body closer. No reaction, but she didn’t seem to be testing that. She was holding onto him like this was the last time she could do so. Sabrina felt like she wasn’t meant to be here, intruding of this intimate moment. She wasn’t meant to be in this universe. For the first time since she left her dimension, she felt overwhelming homesickness. 

“Ursa Major.”

Both Sabrina and Betty froze. Neither had spoken. They looked to the third member of their group. His eyes were still vacant, his body almost lifeless. Sabrina would have thought she and Betty were hearing things born from desperation, but when he spoke again, the notion fled.

“Aquila. Ophiuchus. Cygnus.”

It was a dull reciting, empty words, but they were words nevertheless. And Jughead was saying them. Betty took a sharp breath, looking shocked.

“Hydra. Canis Major.”

Sabrina recognised the terms he was intoning, but why he was saying them, she had no idea.  
“Constellations?”

Betty snapped her head to look Sabrina, eyes wide.  
“Constellations!? Are you sure that’s what he’s saying?”

Sabrina nodded. She was pretty well versed in them. Lots of spells involved the stars, and the constellations they were apart of. 

Betty reacted strangely. She smiled. Okay, she definitely shouldn't be doing that. Jughead’s condition had sent her off the edge. Betty gestured wildly at Sabrina, who watched the other in confusion, tears lying forgotten on her cheeks.

“He’s still in there,” Betty said. “You can help him. You can bring him back.”

“Because of constellations?” Sabrina couldn’t see the connection.

Betty shook her head, her smile widening.  
“No. Because they're not nameless stars anymore.”


	13. And The Light Goes On

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooo, hi. Guess it's been a few months since my last update. Horrible thing is it wasn't even writer's block that stopped me- I've had the ending planned out in my head for months. It was just pure procrastination. I really sorry it took so long for me to end this story. Trust me, the entire time I was procrastinating the story kept bugging me to finish it but I kept putting it off. Until now! Spent about 10 hours writing this, because I promised it'd be extra long, which it is, relatively speaking (almost 3700 words). And now my hand hurts but this pain is worth the pain of having to wait for my sorry ass to get off said ass and give you a good ending.
> 
> Hope this is okay. I hope I've wrapped everything up okay. Hope you've enjoyed this story, despite how slowly paced the last few chapters were written. 
> 
> So, yeah, here it is, the long awaited ending. Enjoy and farewell.

Sabrina stared blankly at Betty. ‘Nameless stars’? What?  
“Should that mean something to me?”

Betty shook her head frantically.  
“It’s something he said once. It doesn’t matter- you need to reverse whatever the hell you did. Quickly.”

“Uh, oh, yeah, ‘course!” Sabrina stuttered hurriedly. She knew that.

What was the spell again? More importantly, what was the opposite? Oh god, she hated time pressure. Betty was watching her with hopeful eyes and that was just making it so much harder. Jughead’s eerie chanting of the same six constellations was not helping either. 

“Sabrina!” Betty yelled impatiently.

“Sorry, sorry, I...I can’t think. What was it, what was it?” she muttered. 

Oh, good Glinda, she couldn’t think! Sabrina felt her breath quicken with anxiety. Betty and Jughead was relying on her. She needed to do this. She needed to remember. She needed to fix this. 

She felt a soft touch on her arm, and she flinched in surprise. She looked down. Salem’s paw sat on her forearm. The cat’s eyes were soft, and calming. He nuzzled his head against her, and purred soothingly.

“Calm down. It’ll be okay. Just think and it’ll come to you,” he whispered calmly, quiet enough so only Sabrina could hear. She knew it wasn’t because Betty was there. He only wanted her and her alone to hear his sincere words. It was a rare event that. Under all that sarcasm, he really did care for her. He may always doubt her, but he’d never given up on her, not once. Sabrina smiled warmly, and gave a quick, firm hug, an unsaid ‘thank you’ shared between the two beings.

She loosened her grip and let out a deep breath. She shut her eyes, letting her focus to turn inwards, away from all the distractions. The world faded away from her, and she felt her magic unfurl under her skin in anticipation. It danced to her fingertips, awaiting only for the words of her spell so as to be unleashed. Breath in and out, and let it wash over you,it seemed to say. Sabrina heeded its advice, and felt her magic sink into every part of her soul.

As just like that, fragments of her spell flittered back into memory. Relief swayed her focus for only a moment before she shifted it back in place. Okay, there was something about darkness, the soul, obviously Jughead’s name was in there too, ummm, oh!, replacing his sadness with joy and light. Yes, yes, it was all coming back. 

Okay, okay, she could work with this. Just had to alter some phrasing, change the motive of the spell, reverse all that the original spell intended and huzzah! 

“Got it!” she exclaimed, eyes slamming open.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Betty watched Sabrina with anxious eyes. The platinum blonde girl had closed her eyes, and her breath was calm and steady. Betty’s, however, were not so much. She was beyond stressed. Jughead’s chant was getting softer and softer, fading slowly into silence, causing her heart to beat at a rabbit’s pace. Her palms rung with pain as she dug her nails into the skin. The coping mechanism helped very little, but in a way it felt familiar. She needed familiar right now.

She turned her head to look at Jughead, feeling her eyes swell with tears. His eyes were so blank, watching something no eyes would ever find. His body was as still as his ice itself, not even a twitch unsettling his position. Betty felt miserable seeing him like this. She thought seeing him act like a different person was the worst possible thing, but this was all the more terrible. She just wanted him back. No flourishes, no alterations, just Jughead, entirely as himself.

 

A strange tinkling noise, like a silver bell chiming, interrupted her thoughts. It sang along with the purling river, a gentle melody that calmed Betty’s chaotic thoughts. Betty raised her head and looked around, trying to locate where it was coming from. She froze, however, when a pink glow flooded all around her, growing brighter as the chiming noise became louder. Betty turned towards the river when she realised where both the light and sound was being emitted from.

Sabrina was alight with pink, ribbons of the colours swirling under skin. Her hair was splayed out, swaying above her head in a ethereal fashion. Betty could not move, frozen with shock. What the f-?!

“Got it!” Sabrina yelled out suddenly in triumph, startling Betty. Sabrina’s eyes flew open, presenting Betty with yet another surprise- they were shining, an ocean of pure and luminous pink iridescent.

Sabrina strode towards Jughead, the atmosphere of pink and babbling bells following her, as if she was a comet swimming through the air, lost in its rhythm and forgetful of the quiet. Betty stared at her numbly, shuffling away from the starlit girl as she approached Jughead. The boy’s voice was barely a murmur, the names of constellations whispered again and again. If he was not so empty of emotion and memory, Betty would think he was saying them desperately, hoping to hold onto himself before everything that made him was blown away like dust. 

Sabrina kneeled down before Jughead, hand hovering above his cheek. The blushing light painted his skin, and warmed the distant eyes. Betty held her breath as she watched Sabrina caress his cheek calmly, her fingers tracing small rings on his face. The pink sunk into his skin, a small ring forming. Her hand retreated, but the light remained playing out on his skin. It darted outwards in short bursts, before withdrawing. It repeated this movement a few times before, with a sudden vivacity, it exploded outwards towards his eyes, creating a labyrinth of glowing veins. The pink strings congregated in his pupil, and upon meeting, flooded the entirety of his eye with the same light that shone in Sabrina’s. A sigh echoed out from Jughead’s mouth, interrupting his evanescent repetitions. And, for the first time in some time, he moved, his head tilting up towards Sabrina.

Betty couldn’t help but gasp. Jughead and Sabrina, though both pupiless, seemed to be staring at it each other, the latter’s mouth quirking into a sad smile.

“I’m sorry,” was all she said before she began to chant, her voice becoming a choir of mystic words. The world seemed to hold it’s breath as it listened along with Betty.

“Heart of sincerity, coloured with truth,  
Though dim, still bright, a shimmer of youth  
With these words, I will now remove  
The spell I made to joy improve  
Boy of words, of life, of pain  
Be this crowned boy king again  
Lies be gone, happiness be true  
Jughead return, return to you”

The chant ended as simply as it had begun, and at first nothing seemed to happen. Sabrina leaned back, though, seeming content as she observed Jughead. A moment passed, calmly and without a sound, before the light began to spill out of Jughead’s eyes in sudden waves of pink. Betty and Sabrina watched curiously as it leaked out into the air, and his familiar blue eyes returned as the curtain of lustre faded away, only to be hidden once more by his fluttering eyelids. Then, like a puppets who's strings had been cut, he sagged to the ground lifelessly.

Betty rushed forwards without hesitation, catching his torso before it hit the ground and pushing him carefully into a sitting position, hands shifting to his shoulders. She shook him lightly, but his eyes remained closed, closed off to the world.

“Juggie, please,” she said with fervent desperation, “I need you.”

But he didn’t answer, and Betty felt her lip tremble as she struggled to hold in her tears. She pressed her forehead to his, closing her own eyes as she listened to his faint breathing.

“I can’t lose you,” she whispered. She couldn’t, he was the love of her life. She didn’t want to lose that.

“Did it work?” she heard Sabrina say behind her solemnly.

Betty didn’t answer, her throat swollen with melancholy, the tears having begun to streak down her face and onto Jughead’s cheeks. She keened as quietly as she could as she wrapped her hands around his back and pulled him into a tight hug. Her arms shivered around him as her tears patterned his shirt. She never wanted to let go.

 

She nestled her head into her neck, pressing a soft kiss on his skin, the bittersweet gift tasting like the sea as tears coated her lips. She lingered there for a moment, feeling his faint heartbeat tap a slow staccato rhythm. She didn’t want it to end, hoping somehow to listen to the song of his heart for as long as it went on beating. Her own heart thrummed fearfully at the thought that that was not much longer. More tear bloomed in his eyes. If only she’d realised sooner, if only she had arrived earlier. 

“I’m sorry,” she murmured ruefully into his neck, “we were too late. I’m so sorry.”

She wept into his shoulder for several moments until she felt a hand gently nudge her shoulder, brushing soothing lines into her skin. A far off gasp went ignored as Betty leaned into both the touch and Jughead’s neck, using both for comfort. A soft voice spoke into the quiet of nature.

“You weren’t late. A wizard is never late, nor early, remember. Always just on time.”

Betty froze, eyes opening to stare out in shock. She couldn’t move. She could barely breath. The hand continued to draw swirling lines on her shoulder.

“It’s okay. You don’t have to be sorry.”

 

Betty felt the hand move to her shoulders, benign movements lifting her up and away from Jughead’s neck. She blinked away tears, her breath stuck in limbo as she let herself be pulled away from her distraught embrace. Then it stopped, and she was face to face with Jughead.

She felt her heart melt as she met the blue eyes she thought she’d had lost forever.

 

“Juggie?” she asked numbly.

He smiled his beautiful and wonderful and gorgeously alive smile.  
“The one and only,” he answered affectionately, repeating something he had said only a day ago.

Betty’s breath caught, and, unable to stop it, tears began streaming down her face as she returned her arms to his body and wrapped them in the tightest hug possible.

Unlike before, hands fell around her shoulders in reciprocation. That made her cry all the more.

“Jughead, you’re back, you’re back” she repeated like a prayer, her voice shaking with residue desolation.

She felt his sigh glance across the skin of her back.  
“I didn’t mean to leave you-”

“No. Don’t apologise.”

It was Sabrina who said it, blunt and sharp. Jughead and Betty left their embrace to look at the forlorn member of their group. She no longer shone with the pink otherworldly glow, and the babble of bells had faded away. She looked human again, and her body was burdened with the human emotion of shame. Even with her head downcast as it was, Betty could see Sabrina’s eyes were alike to her’s in that they harboured tears. 

“None of this was your fault. Don’t you dare blame yourself. Either of you!” Sabrina shouted at them furiously. Betty knew all too well none of her anger was directed at them. 

“Just don’t okay,” Sabrina continued, more quietly now. “Blame me. I hurt you both so much. I thought I was doing the right thing, but I just made everything downright horrible because I favoured my own ideal over yours. You never had a choice, and I will never forgive myse-”

“Hey, hey, stop.” It was Jughead’s turn to interrupt. “If I can’t take the blame, then I sure as hell aren’t going to blame you. I can’t keep a grudge to save a life anyway. I know what you did had horrible consequences, but from what I can tell, you never intended for that to happen. So….I forgive you.”

Sabrina seemed gobsmacked.  
“W-what? Really?”

“I forgive you too, “ Betty interjected, smiling through her tears.

Hours, maybe even mere minutes ago, forgiveness seemed a far off possibility. She’d been so angry with Sabrina, and so, so, hopeless. But now, after seeing how much Sabrina regretted it and everything she did to undo it, she knew she would be a heartless person to not accept the other girl’s apology.

Sabrina smiled gratefully, her eyes shimmering.  
“Thank you.”

Jughead returned it before rubbing his head dramatically.  
“Wow, my head hurts.”

Betty chuckled darkly.  
“No doubt. Do...do you remember everything that happened?”

Jughead shrugged.  
“Bits and pieces. Mostly, it felt like someone’s memories had been shoved into my head and tried to substitute mine. I was me, but I was the me I would have been with the life those memories told me of. Though, I think I was me - the real me - those two times I fainted. It was like...a restart. But I think it made it worse too. Near the end, I guess all of that was too much for my one brain. And the rest is history.”

Sabrina shuffled nervously.  
“Yeah, my spell must have seriously backfired to have all...this happen.”

“So it was magic!” Jughead and Betty both cried at the same time, though the former said it as if confirming something, whilst Betty said it more so in realisation. 

“Yeah, uh, don’t tell anyone. Except Archie maybe. He kind of already knows.”

“Because somebody was being stubborn,” a fourth voice answered in an obnoxious tone. Jughead and Betty seemed the only two to start at the sudden unseen member of the conversation. Sabrina visibly rolled her eyes, unperturbed by the intrusion, before glaring at her bag. When a cat’s head popped out to return the glare, Betty shared a shocked look with Jughead, who returned an ‘I have no idea’ frown. She could hear him mutter ‘talking cats, what’s next, dimension hopping?’ as they both watched the strange exchange between girl and cat, or more fittingly, a witch and her familiar.

“Salem, seriously? Let’s just go ahead and tell them we’re from a different dimension while we’re at it,” Sabrina scowled at the cat.

Betty ignored the Jughead’s soft ‘called it’ as she spluttered.  
“What? What?!”

Sabrina looked up, giving them an awkward smile when she realised her mistake.  
“Yeeahh, I’m….not from around here.”

“Actually makes sense,” Jughead said thoughfully. “You know me in the other reality, don’t you? That’s why you did the spell.”

Sabrina rubbed the back of her neck bashfully.  
“That’s exactly the reason. I….I’m really sorry.”

“I know, But like I said, I forgive you. Though, I would love it if you could fix this killer headache I have.”

Sabrina replied “I’d rather not, given recent events” at exactly the same time as Betty argued curtly “Nope, no more spells.”

Jughead sighed irritably.  
“Fine.”

Yep, he was definitely himself again. Betty beamed, heart flooding with happiness.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sabrina sat on the porch of Betty’s house, watching the wind play with the leaves of the trees. Distant singing could be heard from a naive citizen who didn’t realise how easily their voice could carry from their room, and the accompaniment of birds liven the atmosphere all the more. In any dimension, this town was beautiful. She was happy to observe it for hours. And she had. Jughead and Betty had had a lot to talk about, and Archie had to be brought up to speed. A lot of crazy stuff happened. Sabrina had opted out of that certain conversation. Though they’d had forgiven her, it would have still been incredibly awkward. Instead, she decided to enjoy her last few hours in Riverdale by watching the time pass, the day fading gradually into the night, the oranges and pinks slowly being replaced by deep blues.

A footstep entered the sounds of the dimming world, and Sabrina turned to find Betty. The straw blonde girl sat down beside the witch, and for a moment, they sat in silence, listening only to the wind and the passing cars. It was peaceful, and they enjoyed it together for a few minutes.

“You know, Sabrina...” Betty began after a while, pausing as if waiting for permission to start. Sabrina acknowledged her by looking at her and bowing her head so as to wordlessly say ‘go on’. Betty continued.  
“Even with all the crap that happened, I actually am grateful you came here.”

Sabrina blinked in surprise. 

“You did a bad thing,” Betty persevered, “ but lots of good stuff came out of it. I found out my Mum is taking medication for stress, which her and I will need to discuss. But, now I know about it, I can try my best to help her deal with it. And...I think, what you did has made my relationship with Jughead stronger than it was before. I know that sounds terrible - the thought of losing him making me realise that I can’t live without him. But I guess, I’m thankful that you stopped me from having to discover what life without him would be like.”

Sabrina stared at her, speechless.  
“T-that’s...good…?”

Betty sighed, and looked around hopelessly in search of words.  
“I think...What I’m trying to say is…..you’re my friend now. So….maybe you could visit some time.”

Sabrina’s heart swelled with joy.  
“I-I would love too! I mean, I would have to make sure my aunts are fine with it, and I’d have to make sure lots of dimension hopping doesn’t screw up the universe of whatever, because that happened in a book once, but then again that was fictional, but there were witches in it so mayb-” she stopped babbling when she saw Betty’s raised eyebrow. “Oh, yes, sorry. Yeah, I want to visit.”

Betty smiled, before looking out to the street sadly.  
“You’re leaving soon, aren’t you?”

Sabrina sighed.  
“Yeah. I thought I should leave before I mess anymore stuff up unintentionally. Besides that, my aunts are probably worried by this point. I’ve been gone a few days. And….I miss them. And Harvey too. Retrospectively, I overreacted when I chose to leave. I need to apologise for that. Actually, a lot of things. I…..haven’t been the best person lately.”

“That doesn’t mean you’re an overall bad person, Sabrina,” Betty assured. “Everyone has their bad days. Just don’t let that define who you are.”

“Amen to that.”

Sabrina and Betty spun to look at Jughead, who was smirking down at them, his steepled hands a parody of a prayer. Archie stood beside him, barely hiding his awe at the ‘real life, honest to god, witch’ that sat on his neighbour’s porch (Sabrina heard him shout it during the earlier mentioned conversation. Archie wasn’t exactly the master of subtle). Sabrina couldn’t help but smile proudly. Salem too seemed to preen at the adoration, a purr humming deep in his chest, despite the fact the narcissistic cat was asleep in her bag. Sabrina figured he had a compliment slash reverence radar or something.

Sabrina pushed herself off the step to be eye level with the raven haired boy and his companion, Betty following along soon after. 

“Soo, I take it this is goodbye?” Jughead asked, his hands nestling themselves in his elbows.

“For now,” Sabrina responded, her mouth quirking up in a small smile.

Jughead hummed thoughtfully. He levered his right hand out of his elbow, and towards Sabrina.

“‘Til next time. Let’s hope it goes better, huh?”

Sabrina chuckled sheepishly.  
“Yeah….Hey, maybe I can teach you some more of the constellations. Sound good?”

Jughead mouth tilted into a small, yet absolutely sincere smile.  
“That sounds great.”

Sabrina turned to look at Betty, who had a smile much like Jughead’s, and then to Archie, who upon realising his wonder at someone who could do ‘freaking awesome magic like teleportation probably oh my god so cool’ (another thing Sabrina had overheard) had been discovered, blushed profusely.

“I’ll miss you,” he said diffidently as he played with the sleeve of his varsity jacket.

“I’ll miss you too. All of you,” Sabrina said, giving each a warm smile.

Salem’s head pushed out of the bag, eye droopy with drowsiness. Impeccable timing, as always.  
“I can’t guarantee myself missing you, but I’ll spare you all a thought one every while.”

“Aww, shucks,” Jughead deadpanned, his voice almost acidic with sarcasm.

Salem eyed him for a moment, before stage whispering to Sabrina:  
“I think he’s my favourite.”

She rolled her eyes, before taking a steadying breath.  
“Okay, I think I’m ready to go. Uh...any of you got a mirror?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The mirror wavered as the final words of her spell was spoken, and Sabrina watched as the visage of her room grew and grew in the place of the reflection of Betty’s. 

“Cool” she heard Archie coo as the portal swam in the metal. Jughead’s gasp didn’t go unheard either.

Sabrina rolled her shoulders back in anticipation. She spun to look one last time at her old - yet also new - friends. 

“Okay, before I go, promise me you won’t tell another soul about this. Like full on promise. I’ve broken too many magical laws already allowing you to remember this. So, I don’t know, swear on your lives or something serious.”

Jughead swore on his knowledge, Archie on his heart, and Betty on her soul.

And Sabrina swore on her magic that she would visit again.

When she passed through the portal, the first thing she did was call out to her aunties.

And when they hugged her lovingly, however berating some of their comments were, she cried and apologised again and again.

And when Harvey called, having left multiple voice messages during her absence, she answered, and they shared their pleas of forgiveness and hope to return to each other.

And when she had another bad day, she stayed with her aunts, because she knew that was the right thing to do. Magic didn't seem as bad as did before, now she knew how to control it better.

Though, on those rare occasions where she needed an escape, she returned to Riverdale, to her friends, to her other life.

She returned to enjoy a different kind of happiness.


End file.
